Interior & Police Minister Franklin Almeyda says the government is assessing measures aimed at regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages at “colmadones,” as the barrio grocery stores-turned-bars are known, as reported in Diario Libre. Commenting on the Huchi Lora & Equipo afternoon talk show yesterday, Almeyda said that statistics showed that people drinking at those bars are involved in a greater share of the violence. <\/p>\n
He, nevertheless, revoked the measure announced by Democratic Security Plan (PSD) coordinator Yadira Pena, which ordered a reduction in the opening hours of colmadones to 11pm Monday to Thursday and to midnight on weekends. At present, there is a curfew on the sale of alcoholic beverages after midnight on weekdays and 2am on Friday, Saturday and holidays. <\/p>\n
“We are going to apply the controls more rigorously in order to guarantee citizen security,” he said. <\/p>\n
“A colmadon is not a discotheque or club, people on the streets, on sidewalks, occupying a space. And we are preparing a draft of a bill to open a debate on whether colmadones should only sell unopened beverages.” <\/p>\n
Owners of colmadones say that the change in drinking times would mean bankruptcy because sales take off after 10pm. A recent report published by the Ministry of Interior and Police found that 58.37% of crimes occur at night and that 57.8% of the victims are men between the ages of 18 and 34.<\/p>\n
Almeyda says that the Ministry is preparing a bill to regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages and reduce colmadon opening hours. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Interior & Police Minister Franklin Almeyda says the government is assessing measures aimed at regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages at “colmadones,” as the barrio grocery stores-turned-bars are known, as reported in Diario Libre. Commenting on the Huchi Lora & Equipo afternoon talk show yesterday, Almeyda said that statistics showed that people drinking at those … <\/p>\n