From December 24, 2012, to January 8 of the current year, the campaign "Holidays Outside the Law!" was conducted throughout the Vitebsk region. Its aim is to prevent an increase in juvenile offenses and to avert emergencies involving minors during the winter holidays.

 As part of the campaign, families in socially dangerous situations were visited daily. In total, police officers visited 56 families in Lepel and the Lepel district. Additionally, during evening hours, weekends, and holidays, raids were conducted, visiting dysfunctional families and families from which children had been returned after being taken into care.

 During the winter holidays, monitoring of clubs and sports sections was organized to gain a detailed understanding of how adolescents and minors under preventive supervision by the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate of the Lepel District Department of Internal Affairs spend their free time. A total of five monitoring sessions were conducted, and 13 clubs were inspected. Throughout the campaign, daily control was maintained, and explanatory preventive work was carried out with minors under preventive supervision.

 During the campaign, police officers visited places of mass recreation and unofficial youth gatherings – in entrances, on roofs, and in basements. During the raids, it was discovered that one minor was consuming alcoholic beverages in a public place, one was outside the home without adult supervision, one minor was involved in drinking alcoholic beverages, and one instance of selling alcoholic beverages to a minor was also observed.

 During the New Year holidays, many pleasant surprises were prepared for the children. In conjunction with the district committee of the BRYU (Belarusian Republican Youth Union) and the Department for Youth Affairs of the District Executive Committee, the "Police Ded Moroz" (Father Frost) events were organized. Participants visited children from the most dysfunctional and low-income families. Gifts purchased with voluntary donations from employees of the District Department of Internal Affairs, the Department of Education, and the BRYU district committee were presented to the children. Campaign participants visited 15 families, and New Year's surprises were prepared for 30 children.

 Oleg MIKHNO,
Head of the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate
of the Lepel District Department of Internal Affairs.