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By Humphrey Carter PALMA Local Police's war on crime received a welcome boost yesterday with the arrival of some new state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles. The Local Police force now has the use of seven extra vehicles including a specially equipped 4x4 Mitsubishi pick-up, two squad cars and four motor-cross motorbikes, as part of their fight against escalating crime in the capital.


Palma City Councillor for Citizen Security, Maite Jiménez, said the best part of £80'000 has been spent on the new equipment.
The 4x4 police vehicle will be used to patrol and respond to incidents in the municipalities in more rural and inaccessible areas while the two new squad cars will be used as under-cover vehicles.

Local Police chief Joan Feliu said that the four new motorbikes will be used to step up patrols and the control of Palma's rural areas.
Included in the equipment are new warning signs to be used at the scene of accidents and electronic car-stoppers which can either be set up and remote controlled at police road blocks or thrown down across a road to stop an on-coming vehicle in a matter of seconds.

Using the very latest technology, the car-stopper punctures the tyres in such a way that the wheels gradually deflate, reducing the risk of an accident.

Over the past few years, crime has steadily increased in Palma. While the city council is steadily expanding the force with more Local and Tourist Police on the beat, the larger force needs more and better equipment if it is to efficiently fight crime.

Joan Feliu said yesterday that the new vehicles will make an enormous difference in certain areas of the municipality.