By order of the Catania police commissioner, joint surveillance and public order services have been planned for a safe nightlife. The checks were carried out in implementation of the directives of the Minister of the Interior and in accordance with what was agreed in the committee for public order and safety between the prefect of Catania and the heads of the police force. The interventions were concentrated in the area of Piazza Bellini and in the surrounding areas, ensured by the agents of the Catania police station, by soldiers of the financial police and by patrols of the local police, with the operational support of operators of the scientific police and reinforcement of the mobile department.
Piazza Federico di Svevia area
Carabinieri and local police crews operated in the area of Piazza Federico di Svevia and the surrounding areas. The police carried out, in both areas, careful and meticulous observation activities on people in transit or stationed in the pedestrian areas, to prevent behavior deemed excessive and disruptive, and to implement an effective action to deter phenomena of illegality. An accurate patrol of squares and streets, with forms of dynamic patrolling, allowed for careful and constant control.
Piazza Bellini area
In Piazza Bellini, police and financial police crews were also deployed in the surrounding areas to monitor the conduct of customers, as well as to combat situations of drug dealing or alcohol abuse among young people. Furthermore, the presence of the police forces in the entire area avoided the phenomenon of wild parking and the access of motorcycles into the pedestrian area, to the detriment of the peace of residents and customers, also avoiding risks to the safety of pedestrians. Several motorcycles and vehicles stopped and checked. Overall, 186 people were identified, 29 of whom had criminal records, 78 vehicles were inspected and, with the help of the local police, 5 violations of the highway code were reported, especially for prohibited parking. During the evening, police officers fined a 60-year-old illegal parking attendant. In Piazza Lupo, an argument between two motorists was broken up, which arose due to traffic reasons.
San Cristoforo area
The action of the Carabinieri soldiers was concentrated in the area of the San Cristoforo district, Castello Ursino, Piazza Federico di Svevia, Via Vittorio Emanuele, with the use of 3 patrols, engaged in an action to prevent and combat the phenomena of widespread crime, including the sale and spread of drugs among young people and predatory crimes, as well as drunk driving and conduct disrespectful of urban decorum, such as wild parking near historic sites or those with greater aggregation . Specifically, 45 people and 24 vehicles were checked and 15 infringements of the highway code were also found, applying fines for a total amount of 900 euros, for a ban on stopping and parking on pedestrian crossings, against motorists who had parked irregularly park your car in front of the Ursino Castle, thus preventing the phenomenon of “wild parking” in those areas, in favor of urban decorum and the usability of common spaces by citizens and tourists. Furthermore, a 33-year-old who was driving a Fiat 500 attempted to hide his failure to obtain a driving license by communicating a false name and surname to the police; in particular the man’s nervous attitude, combined with the fact that just before being stopped by the patrol, he had mentioned a maneuver to avoid the control, led the carabinieri to investigate the matter further also on the databases used by the police forces. order, from which it emerged that in reality he had never obtained a driving permit. In addition to the administrative fine of 5000 euros, the man was therefore reported to be free for having communicated false personal details to a public official. Furthermore, 7 checks were carried out to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol, with the use of a breathalyser, with negative results, and 5 personal searches were carried out among young people to search for drugs with negative results. “Thanks to the dynamic preventive activity implemented in the areas of interest and the measures implemented, no critical issues were recorded in the conduct of the nightlife”, we read in the note from the police headquarters.
