[size=55:31liela0]Sofia echo 23 December 2010
Festive follies
Bulgaria’s police and emergency services have issued a series of warnings – and taken a number of steps – to ensure nothing need tarnish the gloss of the Festive Season.
Police have warned of an increase in scams at automatic teller machines in major malls and other popular shopping spots, urging people to sign up for electronic notification services of transactions and draw money only from cash points that are under video surveillance. Scammers are coming up with ever-more ingenious schemes, police said.
The Interior Ministry also has urged motorists to be careful and have announced stepped-up traffic police duties on major routes, especially around Christmas and New Year.
Traffic police said that they would be issuing updates about road conditions through the media, although these announcements would be in Bulgarian.
They called on people to stay off the roads unless they were sure their cars could cope with winter conditions, and cautioned travellers about the risk of drink-drivers and even "
reduced vigilance by parents who let their children drive cars without being qualified"
.
Motorists were urged to ensure that they had snow chains available if needed and enough fuel in the event of delays or detours, and called for patience and caution in the event of congestion, calling on drivers to avoid reckless overtaking or speeding on iced-up roads.
Police asked that those who see drunken drivers or pedestrians who could be at risk of being run over, report them to emergency numbers 166 or 112.
Fire fighters have conducted special checks of places where people would be congregating, from churches and monasteries to entertainment and tourist sites. More than 2000 such places had been checked, authorities said. They cautioned that in almost 470 places, shortcomings had been found, including faulty electrical systems and incorrectly installed heaters.
The Interior Ministry has announced that additional police will be deployed in tourist resorts, and had produced information brochures for foreign tourists to brief them on issues such as health insurance. Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has met ambassadors of European Union countries to brief them on the special steps to provide for security for foreign visitors.
Less formally, foreigners should note some of the less well-known pitfalls of the Festive Season in Bulgaria. One is that in past years, automatic teller machines sometimes are not restocked with cash often enough, while another is that – even by the standards of some local taxi companies – tradition is for taxi companies transporting fares on New Year’s Eve to charge exorbitant fees.
Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:20 am
