Some 950 members of the Yucatan Ministry of Public Security and the Municipal Police of Mérida will be in charge of monitoring and guaranteeing public safety during festivities of the 2017 edition of Carnival, which starts Friday Feb. 24.
Of the total force with responsibility for the security in “Plaza Carnaval”, about 700 are of the SSP and 250 of the Municipal Police. At a joint press conference, Mérida Municipal Police Director Mario Romero Escalante, and Operating Director of the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), José Rafael Chaires Cuevas, ensured the safety of local residents and visitors attending Carnival.
Accompanied by April Ferreyro Rosado, secretary of the standing committee of carnival parties, the police officials explained that following the directions of Mayor Mauricio Vila Dosal, a great show like the one that will be offered this weekend requires good logistics.
Romero Escalante stated that there will also be the support of 25 Municipal Civil Protection elements; 10 of State Civil Protection; 25 paramedics of the Red Cross and 15 of the Municipal Police; fire engines; between eight and 10 ambulances depending on the day and K9 officers, as well as places of medical attention in strategic positions.
A Carnival float at last year’s event in Merida. (PHOTO: sipse.com)
Staff of the SSP and Municipal Police will be installed in 20 surveillance towers, placed mainly in the route for being the place of greater concentration. However, they will also be available in different areas of Plaza Carnaval and the parking area, he said.
As every year, he added, next to the Teatro del Pueblo will be installed an aid area, intended for medical care and reporting of lost children.
“We declare ourselves ready to start with the 2017 Mérida Carnival.”
For his part, Chaires Cuevas stressed that they will work in a coordinated way to support the activities of the Municipal Police. “Our work does not only mean Plaza Carnaval, but also the Periferico and the route on 50 avenue and 42nd street to leave on Tahdzibichén.”
Alcohol meters will be employed for motorists in the area, always in coordination with the Municipal Police. He emphasized that these special celebrations do not mean that the vigilance of the different points of the city diminishes because the personnel in charge will be maintained. Romero Escalante and Chaires Cuevas stressed that the operation ends when people arrive at their homes.
It was mentioned that on Monday 27 there will be the concert of Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, a massive event that is expected to attract between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators, so a special operation has already been planned given the magnitude. Each ticket has a code and tickets will not be allowed without a stamp.
Source: 20minutos.com.mx
