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Mayor of Palma Joan Fageda yesterday spoke out against the problem of gangs of young delinquents who have been operating in the neighbourhood of schools over the past few weeks. “The problem cannot be solved by police measures,” he said, adding that he thought juvenile delinquents should have tutors who will help them resolve their situation. He admitted that “it is an important and difficult matter,” and complained that there are no measures designed specifically to help these minors. “The problem cannot be solved without tutors,” the Mayor said, before adding that there should be better co-ordination between the minors court and the police. “The minors court should be able to tell the police how far they can go.” The Mayor was speaking after complaints were made by school heads and the parents of students, protesting at what they saw as lack of security and an absence of co-ordination with the Local Police. José Manuel Sierra, the councillor in charge of the police, said that the Local Police and National Police chiefs had been discussing the matter over the past few days, with a view to designing a strategy. But, he said, it was necessary to distinguish between the gangs of juvenile delinquents and the day to day squabbles which break out among pupils on a daily basis. He claimed that there were only ten to 15 problematical children in Palma, all with records. Rather than remanding these children in custody, he is in favour of a system of tutors to educate them and prevent them from repeating their crimes. However, he admitted that there were not enough funds for this system.