Recreation should be enjoyable and safe

With the onset of warm weather, residents and guests of our city and district are drawn to nature, primarily to rivers and lakes, to relax, refresh, and regain strength after working days. Often, while on vacation, they forget about personal property safety measures, water safety rules, and fire safety rules, which sometimes leads to tragic consequences. Some consume alcohol, light fires in fire-hazardous areas, pollute the environment with household waste, engage in illegal logging and poaching, which turns them into offenders.

In the city of Postavy and Postavy district, the district executive committee has designated places permitted for swimming, places where swimming is prohibited, as well as places for mass recreation of citizens, i.e., those where a significant number of citizens gather under certain circumstances.

Places prohibited for swimming include those where it is dangerous due to the bottom relief, current, proximity of any technical structures, and other considerations for people's safety. Thus, by decision of the Postavy District Executive Committee, swimming is prohibited in melioration and technical canals, ponds, dug ponds, water-filled quarries, artificial fire reservoirs, treatment facilities, backwaters, locations of dams, locks, bridges, dikes, and other hydraulic structures. Swimming in these places entails administrative liability under Article 23.63 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses (hereinafter referred to as the Code of Administrative Offenses). Such a violation may result in a fine of up to three basic units.
Places permitted for swimming are beaches and coastal areas of lakes and rivers. To ensure normal recreation and people's safety, they are equipped with shade canopies, changing rooms, garbage containers, and toilets. Before the opening of the swimming season, the bottom of the beach area is obligatorily cleared of household waste and other objects that could cause injury to people by OSVOD divers. Thus, swimming and recreation in such places are safer.

Places of mass recreation for citizens are places with the highest number of visitors, including during cultural and mass events. In our city and district, these are the city park, the beach of Lake Zadevskoye from Zelenaya Street in Postavy, the beach of Lake Dubok and the beach of Lake Beloye (best known to our residents as "Ozerki"), the beach of Lake Chernoe, Lake Borovoye of the Dunilovichsky rural council.

However, it should not be forgotten that all recreation areas are public places, and therefore, the consumption of alcoholic, low-alcohol beverages and beer, the use of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues, as well as appearing in a state of intoxication, in these places entails administrative liability under Article 17.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. If a person is brought to justice for the first time, an administrative penalty in the form of a fine of up to eight basic units may be imposed on him. If these actions are committed repeatedly, the penalty may increase to 15 basic units, and the offender may also be subject to administrative arrest for up to 15 days.

During the summer period, law enforcement agencies will pay special attention to ensuring public safety and maintaining public order in these places, as violations of elementary rules of conduct or swimming while intoxicated are often the causes of accidents and deaths.

It also often happens that, carried away by recreation and swimming in cool water on a hot day, people leave their property unattended, including expensive phones, cameras, and other valuables. Unscrupulous people may take advantage of this and steal them. Therefore, do not leave your property unattended, comply with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus and water safety rules, and your vacation will be pleasant and safe.

Department of Law Enforcement and Prevention of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Postavy District Executive Committee