It happened half an hour ago.
METS-oh-rah — 'mezz'ora' contracts into three syllables; stress on the first.
Use to give police an accurate time reference. Time is crucial for deploying patrols who might still catch a fleeing suspect.
Time expressions with 'fa' (ago) follow the pattern: amount of time + 'fa'. 'Un'ora fa' (an hour ago), 'due ore fa' (two hours ago), 'qualche minuto fa' (a few minutes ago).
Sono pochi minuti fa.
It was just a few minutes ago.
Maximum urgency — suspect may still be in the immediate area.
Stamattina verso le nove.
This morning around nine.
Use when the exact gap is unclear but the time of day is known.
Non sono sicuro/a dell'orario esatto.
I'm not sure of the exact time.
Honest when uncertain — do not guess times in a police report.
Italian police use the 24-hour clock in all official contexts. Use 'le venti e trenta' (20:30) rather than 'le otto e mezza di sera' — it removes ambiguity and speeds up record-keeping.