Law enforcement officers of the Vitebsk region have launched raids to identify the illegal sale of pyrotechnics
Law enforcement officers in the Vitebsk region have launched raids to identify the illegal sale of pyrotechnic products, Vladimir Pranko, Deputy Head of the Public Order and Prevention Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, told BelTA.
The operatives are focusing on markets, trade rows and pavilions near shops, and areas near educational institutions, where enterprising traders often try to sell firecrackers and fireworks to minors. Patrol and post service officers have also increased their attention.
Close control over the circulation of pyrotechnic products will be carried out in the region until New Year's, and will also cover the first half of January. At the same time, despite the holidays being still far away, law enforcement officers have already identified the first illegal sale of this product this year: on December 2, officers of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes of the Polotsk City Department of Internal Affairs recorded the sale of fireworks without quality certificates by a seller in one of the shopping centers in Polotsk. A total of 22 pyrotechnic items worth about Br6.5 million were seized from him. An investigation is underway.
The new season has also seen its first victims due to careless handling of pyrotechnics: a young resident of Orsha received gunshot wounds to the face when launching a pyrotechnic rocket.
Vladimir Pranko drew special attention to the responsibility that parents bear for the actions of their children. Thus, at the end of October, three legal representatives of teenagers from the Pervomaysky district of Vitebsk, who were setting off fireworks, were brought to administrative responsibility under Article 9.4 "Failure to fulfill parental duties" of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus, which entails a warning or a fine of up to ten basic units.
In December 2011, about 30,000 pyrotechnic items were seized in the region, and employees of the internal affairs bodies of the region and interested departments conducted over 140 raids to counter the illegal circulation and use of pyrotechnic products. Pyrotechnics were seized in the Oktyabrsky, Zheleznodorozhny and Pervomaysky districts of Vitebsk, Orsha, Polotsk, Sharkovshchinsky, Braslavsky and Lepelsky districts.