From July 1, new anti alcohol rules took effect, banning drinking beverages stronger than 0.5 percent in public places, from transport and yards to parks, playgrounds and entrances. Irkutsk police are already carrying out preventive raids, reminding citizens of the law, and statistics show that every fourth crime in the region is committed while intoxicated. The article explains why fighting street drunkenness has become one of the most urgent tasks for law enforcement.

As of July 1, additional provisions of anti-alcohol legislation came into force, prohibiting the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places. Any drinks with an alcohol content above 0.5 percent are now banned. They may not be consumed on public transport, in courtyards, entrances, elevators, on playgrounds, sports facilities, in recreational areas, and other public places.
Reports about noisy groups drinking alcohol in the courtyards of residential buildings are the most numerous among those received by phone at the “02” service. In a day, operators sometimes receive up to 600 calls from citizens asking them to take action against those disturbing the peace. Hundreds of young people occupy parks and squares, where so-called gatherings take place involving the drinking of beer and stronger alcohol. More often than not, the consequences of such “gatherings” are linked to offenses. According to statistics, every fourth crime in the Angara region is committed while intoxicated. Murders and the infliction of serious injuries during drunken quarrels and fights have become a regular feature in every daily incident report. It must be noted that most of them involve young people under the age of thirty. There are also many cases in which drunken teenagers appear on the streets of cities.
The police are carrying out dozens of special preventive raids aimed at informing citizens about the provisions of the new law and explaining to people sitting on a bench in a city square with bottles of wine or beer that they are thereby grossly violating administrative legislation.
Despite the insufficient number of police patrol units in the cities of the region, especially in the evening and nighttime hours, law enforcement officers are confident that with the help of the public they will cope with the new tasks.
Based on materials from the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Irkutsk Region