Dress rehearsal for the drinks binge

THE new anti-binge drinking control centre has been brought into force already, and will be operative on April 1 and 8, the dates suggested for the mass nation-wide drinking session. Its effectiveness was tested on Friday night, when several hundred young people took part in what has been dubbed a “dress rehearsal” for the real thing. However, police said that numbers were similar to those found every Friday night along Palma's Paseo Maritimo.
The control centre, at the Port Authority's offices, will co-ordinate the Local Police, firemen, Guardia Civil and ambulances.
There will be five ambulances and three mobile intensive care units at the control centre's service.
But the most innovative measure is the television screens and 13 cameras in the port, which will be increased to 60 in May. This is in addition to the four cameras which the Local Police also have in the area. The main objective of the centre is to increase breathalyser tests in the area and the accesses from the motorway, prevent the sale of alcohol in the streets, stop minors from drinking and intervene if anyone should fall into the water or get involved in a brawl. It is feared that as many as 5'000 people could attend the botellon in Palma, and the control centre is prepared to be on duty from 10.30pm to 6.30am.
EMAYA plans to provide more rubbish containers than usual.