With the onset of spring and summer, residents and visitors to our city often head to waterways in their free time to relax and recharge in nature. While relaxing, citizens can forget about water safety precautions, which can lead to tragic consequences. To ensure public order, personal and property safety in public recreation areas, prevent fatalities in waterways, prevent fires in forests and peat bogs, and effectively influence the operational situation, district police departments of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee deploy police officers at public recreation areas.
The presence of uniformed police officers at public recreation areas increases discipline among vacationers, reducing the risk of accidents. The measures taken to ensure public order in public recreation areas are aimed at reducing the risk of accidents and various offenses against vacationers.
Police officers, in collaboration with the OSVOD, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and other agencies and services, will implement a range of measures aimed at ensuring safety in recreational areas, preventing loss of life during recreation, and preventing any unlawful acts against citizens. However, the safety of citizens and their property during recreation, as in everyday life, depends primarily on the individual. If a person respects their life and health, avoids negligence in the safety of their property, and does not violate the rights of others, then in most cases they can avoid death from water, careless handling of fire, bodily injury, trauma, health problems, illnesses, offenses, and crimes against themselves and their property. However, to avoid these situations, a person must adhere to a number of rules and prohibitions that are not always observed by citizens.
In this regard, we would like to clarify the following: recreation areas, forests, riverbanks, lakeshores, beaches, etc. are public recreation areas for citizens. Administrative liability will apply if alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages are consumed in public. It is important to remember the liability for violating environmental safety and nature management regulations, as well as fire safety.
Disobedient citizens are subject to administrative penalties for the following offenses: drinking alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages or beer in a public place, or appearing in a public place while intoxicated (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus) is punishable by a fine of up to 8 basic units; if repeated within a year, from 2 to 15 basic units, community service, or administrative arrest; lighting fires in prohibited areas (Article 16.41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus) is punishable by a fine of up to 12 basic units; polluting forests and other trees and shrubs (Article 16.22 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus) is punishable by a fine of up to 50 basic units; For swimming in prohibited areas (Article 24.42. of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus) – from 1 to 3 basic units.
Advice for the Public
Remember that water does not forgive carelessness. To avoid accidents and the loss of loved ones and children, try to observe the following rules and safety precautions on the water:
It is dangerous to swim while intoxicated, in prohibited or undesignated areas, or to sail in a boat that is faulty or not equipped with life-saving equipment, to sit on its sides, or to change seats or from one boat to another while in motion;
Swimming should not be done earlier than 1.5–2 hours after eating; those who cannot swim are prohibited from using boats, inflatable boats, or other objects not equipped with special flotation devices;
If caught in a strong current, do not swim against it; try to swim with the current toward the shore;
If you find yourself in a whirlpool, don't get lost: take a deep breath, dive into the water, make a dash with the current, and then surface.
If you get entangled in seaweed, avoid sudden movements or jerks, as this will only make you more entangled. Instead, lie on your back and try to swim back the way you came using calm, smooth movements. If that doesn't work, pull your legs up and gently free yourself from the weeds with your hands.
If you experience cramps, try changing your swimming style to reduce the strain on your loose muscles and speed up their relaxation.
Also remember:
Don't swim alone, at night, or in strong waves; don't jump into water with unknown depths or bottom contours;
Don't swim beyond safety signs or far from shore; be mindful of your strength;
When boating, don't overload or rock the boat;
Don't leave children unattended near bodies of water;
Don't jump into the water from dams, piers, boats, or other structures; don't engage in activities such as diving or grabbing other swimmers' limbs, or climb on buoys or other structures;
Don't make false distress calls;
Don't use surfboards, logs, inflatable mattresses, car inner tubes, or other aids for swimming;
Don't hold your breath for long periods of time (oxygen deprivation can cause brain death).
Particular attention should be paid to minors during this period. Sometimes parents let their children go to public recreation areas alone without providing adequate supervision. As a result, the main offenses committed by minors are drinking alcohol and appearing intoxicated in public places.
Important! If a minor has been convicted of drunkenness, this is grounds for placing them on the preventive register with the juvenile affairs inspectorate. Furthermore, in the event of a repeat offense, information about this is sent to the district drug addiction service. After examining the teenager, a drug addiction specialist decides whether to register the minor with a medical facility. The fact that a minor was registered with the juvenile affairs inspectorate and a drug addiction specialist may subsequently become an obstacle to admission to educational institutions, obtaining prestigious specialties, and obtaining a driver's license. The thoughtless actions of teenagers, as well as inadequate parental supervision, can ruin a minor's entire life.
Furthermore, alcohol consumption often leads to crimes committed by minors. Almost one in three crimes is committed by minors while intoxicated.
For parents who fail to fulfill their responsibilities and are indifferent to the safety of their children, the Code of Administrative Offenses has been supplemented with Article 10.3, Part 2, "Failure to Accompany or Ensure the Accompanying of a Minor at Night Outside the Home." This offense carries a fine of up to two basic units. This measure is aimed not so much at holding parents accountable, but at preventing offenses and crimes committed late at night, both by minors themselves and by adults against them. Lack of supervision by parents leads to the loss of their children. It is important to remember that water does not forgive carelessness.
To avoid accidents and the loss of loved ones and children, please follow the above rules and safety precautions on the water. In case of emergency, you can report it to the police at 102, the Ministry of Emergency Situations rescue service at 101, or an ambulance at 103.
Article 19.1. Petty Hooliganism
Insulting citizens and other intentional actions that violate public order, the activities of organizations, or the peace of citizens and manifest a clear disrespect for society are punishable by a fine of two to thirty basic units, community service, or administrative arrest.
Article 19.3. Drinking alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages or beer, using narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues in a public place, or appearing in a public place or at work while intoxicated.
Drinking alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages or beer on the street, in a stadium, in a square, park, on public transport, or other public places, except for places designated for the consumption of alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages or beer, or appearing in a public place while intoxicated in a manner offensive to human dignity and public morality, shall result in a fine of up to 8 basic units.
Actions specified in Parts 1 and 2 of this article, committed repeatedly within one year of the imposition of an administrative penalty for the same violations, shall result in a fine of 2 to 15 basic units, community service, or administrative arrest.
Appearing in a public place in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor's prescription, or the consumption of their analogues, toxic or other intoxicating substances, which offends human dignity and public morality, shall entail the imposition of a fine in the amount of 5 to 10 basic units.
Being at work during working hours in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor's prescription, or the consumption of their analogs, toxic substances, or other intoxicating substances, is punishable by a fine of 8 to 12 basic units.
Consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in a public place without a doctor's prescription, or the consumption of their analogs in a public place, is punishable by a fine of 10 to 15 basic units.
Article 24.42. Swimming in Prohibited Areas
Swimming in prohibited areas of rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water is punishable by a fine of 1 to 3 basic units.
By following these regulations, you can not only ensure your safety but also make it comfortable for those around you.
