5-11 july 2013
Entertainment Police doing the rounds by Keith Nicol FIGURES RELEASED a few weeks ago show that in the first quarter of 2013 the Police made 1,562 inspections on establishments offering public entertainment and 678 inspections for gaming. If this weekend’s added inspection around Cabo Roig and the Orihuela Costa are anything to go by, that number will easily double over the summer period. The original inspections were primarily dealing with infractions regarding licensing and health and safety matters, such as up to date fire extinguishers and insurance. The regional secretary of the Interior, Assumption Quinza, said that the Government’s “priority” is to ensure the safety and welfare of users of public facilities, and the rigorous application of the law to all premises comply with the rules without jeopardizing citizens. “Our duty is to achieve and ensure an appropriate balance between the right to leisure and rest.” Quinza made these remarks at the opening of a training and specialization course for policemen on the Generalitat inspections performances and public entertainment facilities. The regional secretary recalled that the annual number of complaints in this area stands at around 4,000, while disciplinary proceedings every year reach 500. As for the most common offences committed by public local establishments, these mainly are for the lack of the correct license (very difficult to produce on the Orihuela Costa), lack of insurance and failure to ensure none of the safety equipment is out of date.
In this regard, she said that so far this year, the Government has made 1,562 inspections of pubs, clubs and restaurants and 678 inspections of gaming establishments resulting in 350 violations, of which 328 are severe, while in 2012 they brought proceedings against 929 violations, of which 890 were severe and 39 very severe. With the summer season now upon us, the ‘entertainment police’ have been visiting pubs, clubs and restaurants along the Orihuela Costa, looking at licenses and warning management of the sound regulations, which do not allow entertainment outside of an establishment after midnight and only inside if the proper soundproofing has been installed. They are also checking all the legal requirements, which is still proving to be a problem on the Orihuela Costa, because no matter what promises have been made by successive Councillors for the Coast, the Department of Commerce and Trade in Orihuela still has some license and opening applications to process, going back more than a decade! Businesses may have temporary licences to continue to do business but a representative from the Cabo Roig Traders Association estimated that at least 90% of all hostelry establishments in the area are still waiting for their correct paperwork, even though they have been to countless meetings with Council representatives. He also said that fines continue to be handed out but that owners can do nothing more to prove that they are entitled to operate a business. However, one question raised by the Association was regarding Benidorm, where
Outdoor entertainment to be finished by midnight around the Southern Costa Blanca
some pubs still seem to be able to offer entertainment in the streets or outside terraces after midnight, without being asked to close down!
Open enrolment period for courses in hostelry trade By Keith Nicol IF YOU are registered unemployed and looking for work in a bar, restaurant, café or hotel, the CDT of Torrevieja has a number of courses that might be of interest. Torrevieja Tourism Centre is offering a total of six courses for unemployed this autumn; these are free
and financed by the European Social Fund and the Ministry of Tourism. The inscriptions are all ‘telematics’ and can therefore can be done from any computer with Internet access, through the website www.cdt.gva.es attaching a copy of your (Darde) unemployment certificate. If you are unable to access the Internet, the
centre during July until August 2nd from 8.00am to 3.00pm but closed for holidays the remainder of August. For those registering online, it is important to check that you have received an email confirming your registration. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application
has not been successful and you should resubmit or visit in person. The system does not work correctly on mobile devices. If you have questions, you can make inquiries by phone 965 722 600, by email at cdt_torrevieja@gva.es or through the facebook page CDT Torrevieja. All courses are taught in Spanish.