Catania police suspend betting shop for seven days over criminal patrons

Italy's State Police temporarily suspended the activity of a betting shop in the San Cristoforo area of Catania for seven days. The suspension order was notified to the owner by officers of the flying squad of the Ufficio Prevenzione Generale e Soccorso Pubblico, the outlet reported.

Reportedly, checks carried out by officers of the Catania police headquarters over a significant period established the habitual presence of people with criminal convictions for offences including criminal association, drug dealing and illegal possession of weapons, as well as offences against the public administration such as fraud to obtain public funding and fraudulent self-mutilation to defraud insurers. Officers also noted numerous people with records for offences against property, mainly extortion, robbery, theft and handling stolen goods.

The outlet reported that the presence of these individuals was not occasional but was established over several checks from July to the date of the report, during which the convicted individuals were found to gather in the premises, in some cases repeatedly, on different days and at different times. The betting activity had already been subject to a previous suspension order in March this year, and police headquarters officers continued further targeted checks that confirmed a situation capable of disturbing public security.

The closure was ordered after the Divisione Polizia Amministrativa e Sociale completed its investigative work, under article 100 of the consolidated public security law, which allows the public security authority to temporarily suspend authorisations and licences of commercial activities to protect public order and the safety of citizens. The report did not state whether the owner has appealed.