He transferred from Bilbao to Mallorca in 1991 and in 2000 set up the UCRIF, the unit for immigration networks and documentation falsification. Few have the experience and knowledge of Chief Inspector Manso when it comes to the issues surrounding immigration and the challenges it poses.
In 2000, he recalls, the main focus was on Romanians. "There were many problems with them - prostitution, white slavery and crimes against property. Now, and on a daily basis, it is the problem of the boats that come from Algeria and everything that surrounds those who arrive and stay. It's a big problem that involves the entire police leadership."
Key factors, he points out, have been the pandemic and the breakdown of relations between Spain and Algeria. "Due to Covid, people couldn't be returned to any country. As to the relations with Algeria, this prevents repatriation. Before this conflict, one hundred per cent of the people who arrived in boats were returned to their country of origin. Now, a good number of those who stay in Mallorca are committing crimes and it is a very serious problem. Furthermore, it is currently absolutely impossible to expel an Algerian from the country."
He explains that a direct route from Algeria to the Balearics was created some time ago. It is fully established. But the police had warned that this was only part of Africa. "Much of the sub-Saharan part of the continent has also opened routes to the islands; also from Morocco and Asian countries."
The chief inspector says that there was a time when all migrants were sent back to their countries of origin. "They arrived and a few days later they were back in their country." It was also the case that migrants who weren't returned tended to use Mallorca and the Balearics as a transit station for moving to the mainland or to various European countries. There are now more who stay in Mallorca, and "the vast majority who stay here are committing crimes and are repeat offenders". "They can commit up to 30 crimes in a short time."
Why aren't they sent to prison? "They start with minor crimes like theft. No one goes to prison for this. Robberies with violence; yes, they should go, but these can be difficult to prove."
Irregular registration, he notes, supports illegal immigration. "They arrive in Spain, register at an address and generate a series of rights, a health card and aid. In addition, they get on a waiting list to obtain a residence permit. There are people who register in a municipality and then go back to their country. When the two years pass, they return with the certificate that they have been residing in Spain.
"How do they register so easily? It can depend on the official on duty, who sees how 25 people are living in a house of 80 square metres. But it's also become a business, with registrations being sold from 200 euros. We've come across cases in which owners of apartments have no idea that people are being registered at their properties."
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I don't understand this, as a UK citizen my husband and I now have to prove that we have around 70 thousand pounds in the bank for 5years, get a police check, medical check, make sure we have health cover, have a years contract on an apartment, pay for the visa and generally jump through hoops to be able to reside in Mallorca and we have no intention of committing any crime, however, apparently if we just rock up in a boat from Africa and come ashore, we wouldn't have to do any of the aforementioned, it's crazy.
Donald JumpThank you for agreeing with me.
Richard PearsonHail Franco
Charles Dalrymple-ChumleyEngland should try that with the Welsh
That's a useful manual for illegal immigrants to bend the rules and work the system. Really shouldn't be published. Just gives bad people good ideas. The solution? One idea would be to change the system regularly as one does for example with a WiFi password to lock out unauthorised users. So all those in the process of making fake registrations and the like would have to start over. And then change it again and once again they have to start over. Something like that anyway.
No shit Sherlock.
Oh really? They are criminals?
A few decades ago when a certain gentleman was in charge, thiefs didn’t go to jail either. Maybe to a hospital, but not jail. That generally cured them for life.
It takes a retiring police chief to say publicly what most of us already know. Now the question is - what do our politicians intend to do about it ? Experience to date says not a lot. Meanwhile the problem continues to grow and multiply. Spain, welcome to the world of Northern Europe.