Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PATERNÒ (CATANIA) / NEWS – The National Police (Polizia di Stato) has ordered the temporary closure for seven days of a betting shop in Paternò, identified as a regular meeting place for individuals with criminal records. The order to suspend the licences was issued by the Catania police chief under article 100 of the Consolidated Public Security Law (Tulps), based on investigative findings gathered over an extended period by officers from the Adrano Police Headquarters.
[Image: A National Police patrol engaged in a territorial control operation]
Police checks and the backgrounds of the customers
The operation is part of the systematic checks conducted on bars, pubs, kiosks and betting shops to safeguard public order and safety across the Mount Etna province. Checks carried out in recent weeks, continuing until a few days ago, revealed that the business had become a permanent gathering point for several offenders responsible for particularly alarming crimes, including:
- theft and handling stolen goods;
- extortion;
- drug trafficking;
- mafia-type criminal association.
Some of the customers identified inside the premises were also already subject to prevention measures and personal precautionary orders. Their presence in the betting shop was not occasional, thus posing a concrete danger to the community.
The preventive function of article 100 of the Tulps
After the investigation conducted by the Administrative and Social Police Division of the Catania Police Headquarters, article 100 of the Tulps was applied. In addition to protecting citizens’ safety, the rule also serves a specific deterrent function against individuals deemed socially dangerous: by depriving them of a regular meeting place, the police signal that their presence in certain contexts is under constant territorial monitoring.
