Carnival in Aruba … Police Want Night Clubs Closed Early to Prevent Violence like after Tourchlight Parade

 

In Aruba what do you get when you add Carnival, people, alcohol and night clubs staying open into the early hours of the morning? The answer according to the Aruban police is trouble. As the old saying goes … nothing good can come of things after 1 AM.

“The current situation can lead to problems during carnival”, said De Witte referring to the free-for-alls in the center of town after the Torchlight Parade. 

SPA has also mentioned the closing hours in the note to the corps leaders and Parliament members as a result of the shooting incident that killed a 19-year old boy and seriously injured a police officer.  The union says that some horeca-owners are pertinently neglecting the closing hours. 

SPA has learned that nightclub Bahia in the West Street is going to have a party before and after the Lighting Parade.  “To us, this is asking for trouble”, says SPA.  

This hardly seems to describe the situation when travel agencies try and market to tourists to head to the Caribbean for Carnival. Even more to the point for tourists, there is an obvious correlation to the dangers that can occur, the later you are out in the night clubs of Aruba. Buyer beware …

In her letter, SPA also refers to the irregularities during the turn of the year, when Oduber has given the horeca-sector permission to stay open till 06:00.  The police station in Oranjestad had to turn out at numerous occasions for stabbings, robberies, collisions, and reporting.

Police Union: ‘Nightclubs closed at 01:00’  (Amigoe, Jan. 18, 2008)

In order to avoid irregularities, like after the last Torchlight Parade, the nightclubs must close earlier, is the opinion of police union SPA.

ORANJESTAD – Police union SPA has sent a letter to Prime Minister Nelson Oduber objecting to the late closing hours of horeca-businesses.  SPA asks the premier to have the clubs in the center of town close at 01:00 during carnival activities.   

The letter was also sent to Justice-minister Rudy Croes, to all the parliamentary party-leaders, and to chief of police Peter de Witte, who already indicated in the Amigoe last week that he wants to discuss the closing hours with Oduber.  “The current situation can lead to problems during carnival”, said De Witte referring to the free-for-alls in the center of town after the Torchlight Parade. 

SPA has also mentioned the closing hours in the note to the corps leaders and Parliament members as a result of the shooting incident that killed a 19-year old boy and seriously injured a police officer.  The union says that some horeca-owners are pertinently neglecting the closing hours.  In order to guarantee the safety of citizens and police officers, the union wants the horeca-places to close at 01:00 during week nights and at 02:00 in the weekends. 

Due to understaffing in all the districts, SPA also wants the horeca-places to close at 01:00 in the weekends during the Aruba Tivoli Lighting Parade on January 26 and the Kimamento di Momo on February 5.  SPA has learned that nightclub Bahia in the West Street is going to have a party before and after the Lighting Parade.  “To us, this is asking for trouble”, says SPA.   

In her letter, SPA also refers to the irregularities during the turn of the year, when Oduber has given the horeca-sector permission to stay open till 06:00.  The police station in Oranjestad had to turn out at numerous occasions for stabbings, robberies, collisions, and reporting.

SPA also quotes the Torchlight Parade as an example, even thought the parade itself went very smooth.  The union is outraged though about the incidents after the parade.  The union blames this on the fact that many people stayed in town because the horeca-places stayed open till 04:00.  A total of 10 to 20 surveillants were present in the area where nightclub Bahia and Royal Plaza are and because of this, other districts were without police surveillance.     

Posted January 18, 2008 by
Aruba, Crime, Murder | 7 comments


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  • Comments

    7 Responses to “Carnival in Aruba … Police Want Night Clubs Closed Early to Prevent Violence like after Tourchlight Parade”

    1. Richard on January 18th, 2008 1:03 pm

      Isn’t this funny … I thought Aruba was a crime-free paradise.

      At least, that’s what they tell us.

      And that’s what the people and companies who make money out of steering the sheep to Aruba and the Caribbean want us to believe.

    2. Patti on January 18th, 2008 4:52 pm

      Paradise?

      Paradise is Hawaii!!

      Paradise is the San Juan Islands,

      Vancouver, B.C.,

      or the Florida Keys

      .

      Aruba with it’s drunken, Indians

      with the sniffles?

      No thanks!

      .

      Boycott Aruba!

    3. Maggie on January 18th, 2008 5:15 pm

      Wonder how many females went to sit on the beach alone to look at stars afterward and just poofed, vanished?!

    4. Patti on January 18th, 2008 11:17 pm

      Maggie:

      I think you mean captured…

      There weren’t any stars out that night.

      But, on June 8th, the night of the New Moon,

      there were stars gallore.

      CAPTURED!

      IMO…

    5. downloadingdaddy on January 19th, 2008 12:06 am

      Update from the persistence;

      Friday, January 18, 2008
      XIII. Stay the Course

      SPECIAL UPDATE: Fri 18-Jan 2335 hrs

      We would like to specifically address one comment left on the blog which likely represents the sentiments of many.
      “You guys have been out there for quite a long time now… I was really hoping for results by now. I can’t help but begin to think she won’t be found” -Overwhelming_Sadness

      Quoting John Silvetti- Fri 18-Jan 2300 hrs
      “It is easy to lose heart if one confuses expectations with hopes and desires. The nature of a marine search, especially one in which the method and disposition of the item you are searching for is unknown, requires a painstakingly slow and methodical disqualification process. The logic is no different than trying to find your car keys. The methodology is: you look where you were recently. We look where it is believed to be, based on evidence or reports. When you and I do not locate what we are looking for in the most logical place, we move on to the next logical place. Ultimately, we both confirm the old saying, “It is always in the last place you look”.
      Unknown topography and terrain, combined with large seas have slowed us down but it has not stopped us. We have surveyed and investigated a large area, disqualified most of it, and moved on to an even larger area. At times our progress has been exceedingly fast and slow at other times. We do however, “STAY THE COURSE”….PERSISTENCE.

      Our hopes and desires also were to find Natalee before Christmas so we could help bring closure to the Holloway family as our gift to them. Then, we could return home to our families to enjoy the holiday season and hug our children a little tighter… but, it was not meant to be that easy…and we understand.
      –John Silvetti.”

    6. Carpe Noctem on January 19th, 2008 12:45 am

      I still find it to be mainly in this girl’s

      GENERALLLLL DIRECTIONNNNNN, in which I choose to do

      an overwhelming majority of my HEART-ING!!!!

      (this would also include evenings & weekends.)

      -Justice 4 Natalee!

      http://tinyurl.com/3dpths

      http://tinyurl.com/2v2we2

    7. Kees on January 19th, 2008 4:30 am

      This is really a must read for everyone.

      http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_38773.php

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