Rome  - Some 3,000 Italian troops on Monday took up positions in cities and towns and began patrolling streets as part of an anti- crime measure introduced by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government.

Over third of the troops have been deployed to guard reception centres for illegal immigrants while another 515 are assigned to assist police in Rome, Milan and Naples.

Berlusconi's centre-right coalition which won elections in April on a law-and-order platform, says the troops will provide extra security in "sensitive areas" including railway stations, embassies and tourist spots.

But opposition leaders have criticized the move as "propaganda," questioning its effectiveness in combating crime. The have argued instead that more funds and other resources should have been destined to the police.

A union representing the police, Coisp, also slammed the decision, and in a statement welcomed the fact that no soldiers are to be deployed in Venice.

"We're off the hook (in Venice) because for every three soldiers deployed, one police or carabinieri (paramilitary police) needs to be provided as backup," Coisp said in a statement.

"Where are we going to find extra police?" Coisp asked, lamenting what it said was a scarcity of fuel for police squad cars and no overtime pay for police men and women.

The soldiers' deployment has also drawn some criticism within the centre-right, with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno refusing to allow them to patrol the city centre.

Alemanno said he feared the "militarization" of the Italian capital would scare away tourists.

The soldiers, who have been authorized to conduct arrests only when catching people in the act of committing a crime, have been deployed for an initial period of six months.

In 1992, Italy's then centre-left government ordered the deployment of the army in the wake of the murders of anti-Mafia magistrates, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, in Sicily. (dpa)