Even during the second weekend of September, the police were engaged in an intense control service to guarantee safety and public order in the areas most frequented by young people and tourists. The controls were ordered by order of the Catania police commissioner, Giuseppe Bellassai.
High attention in the nightlife streets
Police officers, supported by the scientific police and local police, kept watch in the streets of the historic center and in the areas of greatest influx, including Piazza Nettuno and the surrounding streets. The checks were also extended to Piazza Vincenzo Bellini, Via Sangiuliano, Via Landolina, Via Coppola, Piazza Università, Piazza Stesicoro, Via Filomena, Via Gemmellaro and along the entire seafront. Other police and financial police crews kept watch to monitor the behavior of customers and prevent drug dealing or alcohol abuse among young people.
Illegal parking attendants always present
The fight against illegal parking attendants was a must. Five people from Catania and a Romanian were fined administratively. Two people, both with criminal records, were reported for violating the so-called “urban daspo” (dacur), which should have prevented them from frequenting the area where they were found. The 58-year-old was in the Picanello-Ognina area and was caught red-handed thanks to a tip from a citizen who used the “Youpol” app. Four other “colleagues” of theirs were fined last weekend. In this area, 160 people were identified, 20 of whom had criminal records, and 65 vehicles were checked.
The beginning of a fight was quelled
The Carabinieri were present in the neighborhoods of San Cristoforo, Castello Ursino, Piazza Federico di Svevia, Piazza Europa, Ognina and Viale Kennedy. In total, 45 people were identified and 34 vehicles were checked, finding 11 violations of the highway code for a total amount of 4 thousand euros. The violations concerned, among other things, the lack of insurance, the use of a cell phone while driving, the prohibition of parking and parking on pedestrian crossings. Several checkpoints were set up to verify drunk driving both in the historic center and along the coast. 11 drivers were tested, but none were found to be intoxicated: all the blood alcohol levels detected were zero or within the legal limit (0.5 g/l). As part of the anti-drug checks, 6 personal searches were carried out. In this context, the operators noticed a small group of four young people from Catania who were arguing animatedly in the area of Castello Ursino, but the intervention prevented the situation from degenerating.