As part of a new self-defence reform, Italy’s populist interior minister Matteo Salvini has promised that people who confront home invaders will have their legal bills paid for by the Italian state.

The new self-defence bill is set to enter parliamentary debate on the 23rd of October, with Mr Salvini pushing for more liberalisation on the rights of Italians to defend themselves from home invasions, Il Giornale reports.

Writing on social media, Salvini stated: “A thief comes into your house, company or store, and you defend yourself? It will be your right to do so, and the thug (and his relatives) will not be able to ask for a euro of compensation.”

“Besides, you won’t end up on trial for years and you won’t pay your own pocket: the state will cover any legal expenses of those who defended themselves,” he added.

The statement follows promises made in June by the populist League (La Lega) leader, who said he would seek to liberalise the ability of homeowners to use firearms to defend their property.

Across Europe, there are very few countries which grant firearms licenses for self-defence purposes. The Czech Republic, which has a relatively libertarian stance on firearms ownership, is one of the few that will grant a weapons permit for self-defence.

Despite stricter laws in other European countries, nations like Austria have still seen the number of requests for weapons permits increase significantly since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.

Over the last year, firearms licenses have increased by 13.8 percent across Italy, with studies showing that more and more Italians feel less secure in their homes. Around 33 million Italian homes are now equipped with anti-theft measures.

Salvini’s proposals come directly after his security and migration decree, which also took aim at the mafia, pushing for more staff to be hired at the national agency responsible for assets seized from organised criminals.