Police crime victory in Palma resort

By Humphrey Carter PALMA Local Police claim to have reduced crime along the Playa de Palma by 15 percent this year, although local hoteliers are calling for more close-circuit cameras and police on the beat. The Local Police force, again this winter will be mounting a special operation to maintain that the thousands of Spanish pensioners who head to the resort on subsidised holidays are kept safe and well. The force reported yesterday that between January and the end of September this year, it has seen last year's alarming crime rate fall by 15 per cent. Officer Ricardo Minguez, in charge of policing the Playa de Palma district, said that what is even more encouraging is that the number of arrests made along the strip have also fallen by ten percent while police have been five percent more effective with the arrests made. Drastic measures have had to be taken to crack down on crime however. For example under-cover officers have been posing as bus passengers. Many areas of the Playa de Palma are under round-the-clock close-circuit tv surveillance and more officers have been put on the beat with a much greater level of co-operation between the National and Local Police forces. Now that the summer season is over, the Local Police are focused on the winter and looking after the scores of pensioners. Last year the winter operation, according to Mínguez, was a great success, reducing the number of incidents by 12 percent. This winter, 13 hotels will be accommodating pensioners and the Local Police will be regularly visiting the hotels, giving talks to the guests on how best to protect themselves, what to do in the case of an emergency, and what support the Local Police will be providing. However, despite all the good news from the Local Police chief, local hoteliers yesterday called on Palma City Council to step up policing and security measures even more in time for the next summer season.