Jason MoorePalma14/05/2019 18:36
TW

Is there a serious shortfall in police numbers across the island? I ask this question because the old adage "there is never one around when you want one" clearly applies to Majorca at the moment. In Palma, there is a new menace on the pavement: the motorised scooter and bicycle has taken hold. I had a lucky escape when I stepped out of our offices and narrowly avoided being hit by a cyclist who I suspect was on his way to the Tour de France judging by the speed he was travelling. I informed him that he should be using the cycle path on the other side of the Paseo Mallorca. But this isn't really my job; where is the thin blue line?

A veteran taxi driver told me that the majority of petty crime along the promenade in Playa de Palma, home to the resorts of Arenal and Can Pastilla, could be avoided if there was a visual police presence. I am sure that it is a story which repeats itself across the island. Overall the local police forces do a very good job but they are obviously short of resources, and for an island which welcomes millions of tourists, you would have thought that there would be more police available. I know that during the summer months reinforcements do come from the mainland but perhaps it is not enough. Maybe the local authorities could divert some of the cash from the tourist tax to pay for extra officers during the summer months; I am sure that the move would be appreciated by tourists and local residents alike. The problem needs solving.