Italian chief of police Gianni De Gennaro acknowledged Wednesday that police had acted illegally and used excessive force to control demonstrators during the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Genoa last month.
But he suggested that "guerrilla-style actions by violent criminals" had triggered at least some of the abuse.
Addressing a parliamentary commission of inquiry, De Gennaro said that illegal acts by police would be "severely punished."
The commission of inquiry was set up by Italian deputies to throw more light on the violence surrounding the G8 summit. It has no judicial powers but will be able to impose disciplinary measures.
Besides the fatal shooting of 23-year-old protester Carlo Giuliani, hundreds of people were injured and more than 200 arrested in the northwest Italian port city during the three-day summit.
Several inquiries are under way following widely-publicized allegations of police brutality -- ROME (AFP)
