No outlets retailing alcoholic drinks will work in the Great National Assembly Square during the events that will be organised to celebrate the winter holidays, Mihai Cibotaru, head of the Interior Ministry’s Public Order Division, told a news conference on December 25. The people will be also banned from carrying beverages in glass bottles with them, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Mihai Cibotaru, over 13,000 police officers, members of the people’s guards and employees of security agencies have been entrusted with the task to take preventive measures ahead of the winter holidays. Cibotaru said that as a rule, the number of thefts from town apartments and of animals and birds in rural settlements increases in this period. The Ministry of Internal Affairs calls on the motorists not to use the personal cars during holidays when possible in order to avoid traffic jams, not to drive under the influence of alcohol and to adjust the vehicle to the weather conditions. Mihai Cibotaru said that on December 31, the public transport will work as usual – the urban transport and buses until 23.00, while the minibuses according to the demand. The transport units that cross the Great National Assembly Square will be redirected to Ismail and Mihai Viteazul streets depending on the passenger flows. If the flows are larger, the traffic will be redirected to Mitropolit Bănulescu-Bodoni and Al. Puskin streets. The persons that will use pyrotechnical substances will be fined – five to 25 minimum salaries. According to Mihai Cibotaru, owing to the measures taken, the pyrotechnical substances disappeared from the markets. The licenses of the five economic entities that imported, stored and used pyrotechnical substances had been withdrawn because they did not have appropriate storerooms. Now the police are taking measures to prevent smuggling of pyrotechnical materials, the cited source said. Anatol Viniciuc, deputy head of the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service, said that in order to prevent fires, the Christmas tree must be located at least one metre from the electric power source and from stoves. It must be adorned only with industrial light chains of 18 volts. Viniciuc said that most of the fires during wintertime occur because the rules of using stoves and heaters are not respected. Tudor Nicorici, head of the Fraud Investigation Division, said that more contraband and non-qualitative goods enter circulation during the holidays. He stated that 195 clandestine networks for producing goods have been discovered this year, including 60 for making alcoholic drinks and 90 for making food products. There were identified 150 tonnes of hen thighs of a poor quality produced in the U.S. and Brazil in the 50s. Most of the thigh batches have been brought over the ocean to Odessa port and from there to Moldova through the Transnistrian region, Tudor Nicorici said. He warned the persons that come from abroad for the holidays and want to exchange currency, to go only to currency exchange facilities. Recently, the police discovered five cases of illegal currency exchange in Chisinau and six cases in Balti. There were identified forged notes of 20, 50 and100 lei, the cited source said. The Interior Ministry’s hotlines for the municipality of Chisinau are 25 54 92 and 54 80 86.