ALCUDIA POLICE NOISE CRACKDOWN

By Humphrey Carter ILLEGAL street parties, raves and noisy bars are what Alcudia plans to stamp out this summer in the resort. Police are already on patrol with decibel metres, but as the start of the summer season approaches, noise enforcement checks on bars and clubs will be stepped up. In addition, an operation to stamp out the infamous “botellon,” street parties and raves will also be mounted in the resort which is one of Europe's most popular family destinations. Alcudia Council ordered the Local Police to take action on March 26 until further notice and apart from the regular patrols, the force has created a rapid response unit. Any noise complaints received from hoteliers or residents will be immediately acted upon. If the bar or club concerned has broken the noise contamination laws, the proprietor faces an immediate five-day closure ban pending further action as part of the council's zero tolerance policy. Up until now, offending bar and club owners were fined, a practice which suited the culprits as they paid the fines, but remained open for trading. This new practice is aimed to hit business where it hurts most, in their pockets and therefore forcing them to take notice. Any establishment caught playing music at ten decibels above the permitted level, will also face having its music systems seized. Bars and clubs also caught supplying alcohol for street parties, will face police action. The council believes that for a resort such as Alcudia such action is very important for the well being of the resort and the tens of thousands of tourists, mainly families, who visit the north east every year The council has ordered the police to patrol the whole resort, including the port. Residents are being encouraged to play a role in keeping the peace and tranquility. Every summer, similar action is taken by most local councils whose municipality if dependent on tourism. Calvia was one of the first to crack down on noise, shortly followed by Palma and now Alcudia is stepping up its efforts to force bars and clubs to comply with the noise contamination laws. Palma is also having difficulty in cracking down on illegal street drinking. The council has managed to move the weekly gatherings in the old port car park away from the city centre. But the “botellon” now takes place all along the Paseo Maritimo, leaving the sea front strewn with broken and empty bottles every Sunday morning. A fresh offensive is being planned by the new mayor Catalina Cirer for this summer.