Meeting of the Calvia security board on Thursday.

TW

Security is going to be significantly tightened in Magalluf and other resorts in Calvia this summer.

Yesterday, Mayor Alfonso Rodríguez chaired a meeting with the national government delegate to the Balearics, Rosario Sánchez, and the heads of the local police and Guardia Civil to discuss policing in Magalluf this summer and how to make the maximum use of the security forces.

The town hall has already launched a crackdown on party boats. One was slapped with a substantial fine last month and the mayor has been in talks with the Association of Maritime Activities in order to stop party boats completely. The organisers now face a fine of between 600 and 1,500 euros for arranging the cruise and another 1,500 for advertising the event on the internet.

Over the past few months, a team of officers has been combing the internet looking for websites advertising party boats, pub crawls and various other events in order to shut the sites down and also fine the businesses behind the parties which Calvia wants to outlaw. Strict bylaws tackling anti-social behaviour have been introduced over the past few years and they have had a positive effect, attracting greater private investment and the return of family holidays.

The town hall will this season move the foreign tourist service office (SATE), which is currently located on Avenida de sa Porrassa, to the tourism office which is located in the centre of Magalluf at the bottom of Punta Ballena. It is believed that this will enable the Guardia Civil to have a permanent presence in the heart of the resort and therefore be able to respond to incidents much more quickly.

The mayor has been pushing for a a more visible Guardia Civil presence in the resort for years and described this move as "excellent news".

Rosario Sanchez announced that the Guardia Civil and local police are going to be working much closer together as part of a special plan to combat anti-social behaviour and ensure that municipal bylaws are being complied with.

The consumer protection and employment departments are going to be involved in the special plan "to ensure that the season gets off to a positive start and that public safety is guaranteed". The Calvia Coordination Centre is going to play a much more important role this year. The unit was initially created to oversee matters on big occasions such as the night of Sant Joan and summer concerts. However, it will now be more involved in daily matters in Magalluf and other resorts. Inspections to ensure that bars and clubs are respecting noise restrictions are going to be increased as will be the control of underage drinking.

Bars face being fined 10,000 euros for refusing to close their windows and doors after midnight. One bar has already been caught and faces a 30,000 euros fine and being closed down for two years.

These extra measures are all part of the campaign to change the image of the party resort by imposing tough new fines for anti-social and unruly behaviour and drinking in the street, stripping off in public, vandalism and shouting too loud, which is punishable by a fine of 400 euros.