Jūrmala brawl: emergency session rejects decisions, mayor orders security assessment
Following a mass brawl at the Resort Festival on Jomas Street in Jūrmala, the Jūrmala City Council rejected both security decision proposals at an emergency session. Mayor Lediņš has already ordered a security assessment on Monday.
Jūrmala City Council rejects security decision proposals following Resort Festival brawl
According to TVNET, Jūrmala City Council Chairman Jānis Lediņš (LZP) has instructed competent specialists to assess the events from last weekend at the Resort Festival and to consider improvements to public safety at future events. He informed the council of this at Thursday's emergency session, which was convened at the opposition's initiative to discuss a mass brawl on Jomas Street.
The session was originally planned to hear from the Municipal Police about maintaining order at the Resort Festival, but neither Police Chief Uldis Bēniņš nor any other police representative attended the session. Lediņš explained that Bēniņš was not invited to the session because the opposition's request did not specify a reporter.
Since Deputy Jānis Asars (NA) had registered as the speaker, most of the session was taken up with other deputies directing questions at him. Mārtiņš Stulpiņš (ZZS), chairman of the Security Committee, was also unable to provide answers to substantive questions about city safety.
Both decision proposals rejected
The first decision proposal provided for instructing the Municipal Police to prepare an assessment for the council by 1 July on patrol intensity on Jomas Street and in the Majoru Centre area, the coverage and effectiveness of the video surveillance system, and the necessary improvements to strengthen public safety.
The second decision proposal provided for instructing the municipal administration in co-operation with the police to develop proposals by 1 July on additional security measures on Jomas Street and in other heavily visited areas, the development of the video surveillance system and strengthening co-operation with the State Police (VP), as well as to provide information on required funding.
Both decision proposals were rejected in the council — the coalition abstained in the vote. Lediņš emphasised that data on the location of video surveillance cameras in the city cannot be made public, whilst noting that he had already issued an order on Monday instructing competent staff, including the police, to assess the festival's conduct and the possibilities of improving security measures.
Criminal proceedings reclassified
The State Police initially announced that one person had been detained and criminal proceedings initiated for intentional infliction of serious bodily harm. However, news agency LETA ascertained that the injured man, born in 1998, had been taken to Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, where doctors did not establish serious bodily harm. The injured party has already been discharged from hospital.
Consequently, the criminal proceedings were reclassified as hooliganism involving infliction of bodily harm. The detained young person was born in 2006. The Criminal Law provides for hooliganism a sentence of up to five years' imprisonment, probation supervision, community service or a fine — compared with up to seven years' imprisonment and probation supervision of up to three years for intentional infliction of serious bodily harm.
Jūrmala Municipal Police told agency LETA that "all available municipal police human resources" were involved in monitoring the event and that several violations related to alcohol consumption in a public place were detected. Commenting on the brawl itself, the municipal police emphasised that "incidents with signs of criminal offence fall within the competence of the State Police".
Source: TVNET