Rest should be pleasant 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, rules of conduct on the water, and fire safety rules, which sometimes leads to tragic consequences. Some drink alcohol, light fires in fire-hazardous places, 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 areas permitted for swimming, areas where swimming is prohibited, and mass recreation areas, i.e., those where a significant number of citizens gather under certain circumstances.

Areas prohibited for swimming include those where it is dangerous due to the bottom relief, currents, proximity to 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, dugouts, flooded quarries, artificial fire reservoirs, treatment facilities, backwaters, locations of dams, locks, bridges, embankments, and other hydraulic structures. Swimming in these places entails administrative liability under Article 24.42 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses (hereinafter referred to as the Code of Administrative Offenses). For such a violation, a fine of one to three basic units may be imposed.

Areas 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 start of the swimming season, the bottom of the beach area is mandatory cleared of household waste and other objects that could cause injury to citizens, with the help of OSVOD divers. Thus, swimming and recreation in such places are safer.

Mass recreation areas are places with the highest number of visitors, including during cultural events. In our city and district, these are the beach of the Myadelka River (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").

However, it should be remembered that all recreation areas are public places, and therefore, drinking alcoholic, low-alcohol beverages and beer, consuming narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues, as well as appearing in a state of intoxication in these places, entails administrative liability under Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. During the summer period, internal affairs bodies 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 fatalities.

It also often happens that, engrossed in recreation and swimming in cool water on a hot day, people leave their property unattended, including expensive phones, cameras, and other valuables. This can be exploited by "dishonest" people who may steal them. Therefore, do not leave your property unattended, comply with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus and the rules of conduct on the water, and your vacation will be pleasant and safe.

 

Andrei Senin

Deputy Head of the Department for Law Enforcement and Prevention 

of Public Security Police of the Postavy District Executive Committee Internal Affairs Department