Sixty per cent of Palma police cars have faults

Palma police cars have faults. | R.S.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma27/09/2019 04:01

The Palma police force currently has 99 cars, of which 60 are faulty. Repairs have been ordered for 26 of them. There are also 24 vans, eleven of which have broken down. Two will shortly be repaired.

This serious situation has meant that on occasion officers have had to use Palma's EMT bus service. The councillor for public safety, Joana Maria Adrover, has therefore announced that the police vehicle fleet will be renewed.

Adrover told Thursday's council meeting that different avenues of financing this renewal are being pursued. One is a sum of 750,000 euros that remains from 2018's budget. This will pay for twenty patrol vehicles. A further 140,000 euros will come from funding under the law for capital cities. This will go on the purchase of fifteen electric bikes. As for an allocation from the 2019 budget, this has yet to be determined.

Her department will be speeding up procedures for vehicle repair. These will involve new contracts, described as being "more stable and more durable", with repair garages. The police's Sant Ferran headquarters has a garage, but there are only two mechanics, a number which is totally insufficient for covering maintenance needs.