Music turned off, evenings suspended and clubs ended up in the sights of the municipal police. A few weeks after the start of the bathing season, the checks on the northern coast of Messina have put the spotlight on the safety of the summer nightlife areas. And the weekend’s balance sheet is heavy: three activities checked, three irregularities found.
According to what emerged from the checks coordinated by commander Giovanni Giardina and inspector Giuseppe Cifalà, the premises would have hosted a much higher number of people than the authorized capacities, with evident critical issues also in terms of escape routes and emergency exits. A situation which, the municipal offices explain, could have created serious problems in the event of an emergency. Not only overcrowding, therefore, but also spaces deemed unsuitable to guarantee a rapid and safe outflow of the public present.
The checks were concentrated in the areas of the northern coast, which have now become the new epicenter of the city’s nightlife. And what the agents ascertained confirms a picture that has already emerged in recent weeks. In two venues in the city center authorized for less than one hundred people intended for dancing activities, the operators had in fact found over three hundred customers. Even in that case, the evenings were immediately suspended and the judicial authorities were reported.
Over the past weekend, however, the numbers would have been even higher. In two activities authorized for less than two hundred seats, the Municipality found the presence of approximately four hundred and five hundred people respectively during musical events organized despite the limits set by the authorizations.
Violations that take on even greater weight in light of the recent provisions introduced after the events that occurred last winter regarding safety in public places. The intervention of the agents of the Annona Section led to the immediate suspension of musical activities and the controlled outflow of patrons present in the premises.
Administrative sanctions considered significant have been imposed for the holders, while the suspension of the licenses is not ruled out. But the front could soon shift to the criminal level as well. The Municipality will in fact send detailed information to the Judicial Authority, which will have to evaluate any responsibilities and profiles of criminal relevance linked to the management of the evenings.
The checks, they assure from Palazzo Zanca, will continue in the coming weeks and will be further intensified as summer approaches.