BINGE DRINKING POLICE PATROLS TO CONTINUE

WEEKEND police patrols along the sea front in Palma are going to continue in a bid to combat binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour.
Throughout May, the Red Cross mounted a campaign along the Paseo Maritimo to encourage young binge drinkers to behave more responsibly, make less mess and make less noise. The campaign is over and Red Cross bosses told Palma city council yesterday that the situation does appear to have improved.
Nevertheless, the city hall is taking no chances and said yesterday that the weekend patrols, which started last week, will continue indefinitely.
Last weekend's debut patrols were apparently a little chaotic with members of the Local Police and Port Police unsure about which force should issue the fines and how fines were to be handed out. Nevertheless, 20 people have been fined for anti-social behaviour, including urinating in public along the promenade and throwing bottles.
The council announced yesterday that in the future, fines can be exchanged for community service.
Palma's new anti-social behaviour and binge drinking legislation is still being debated in council and is not expected to be completed until late this month. Nevertheless, it appears that most of the young people who congregate along the sea front on the weekend are aware of the new anti-social behaviour legislation and approve of the council's initiative. The survey also discovered that most of the youngsters are either students or people on low income.
The Red Cross told councillors yesterday that over the past few weeks, more and more people are putting their empties in the waste bins instead of leaving them lying along the sea front. But there is still much work to be done to bring the situation under control and socially accepted by residents and tourists either living or staying along the Paseo Maritimo - especially with the summer holidays approaching.