Crime rate falls along the Playa de Palma

CRIME has dropped by nearly 6 percent during the 2003 tourist season along the Playa de Palma, but there is still “plenty of room for improvement”.
The central government representative in the Balearics, Miquel Ramis, was speaking yesterday morning at a meeting on security which was organised by his department and the Playa de Palma Hoteliers' Association. Also present were the Association president, Jordi Cabrer; the Mayor of Palma, Catalina Cirer, and the mayor of Llucmajor, Lluc Tomás, along with senior representatives from different security forces and residents' associations. According to Ramis, the object of the meeting was to analyse developments in the tourist season of 2003, based on information available to 30 September, 2003. Specific problem areas would be addressed with a view to avoiding future repetition. The government delegate clarified that the fall in crime rate has been thanks to a series of factors, amongst which is the installation of security cameras along some streets as a deterrent. Preventitive measures set up by security forces and public collaboration have also proved significant. On the subject of speeding up the legal procedure to enable authorities to bring offenders before a court with the minimum of delay, Ramis felt it was too soon to say what effect this new measure had had on crime figures.