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The Local Police forces in the Balearics and Cataluña are undergoing special training to learn how to assist and protect tourists. The second of the courses started in Palma yesterday at the Local Police School and members of the local police will be instructed about three key areas of policing; prevention, protection and assistance. Those taking part in the courses will also be briefed about the special police operations which are going to be introduced this summer in predominantly tourist areas and around the city's main attractions. During the week-long course, the police will also be given an insight into how the tourist industry operates so that the officers know as much about the environment they are operating in and the citizens whose rights they are protecting. Seminars and workshops are to be held on topics such as the phenomenon of mass tourism, the structure of the tourist industry and the problems police can expect to deal with, which may differ from those typical to every day policing of Palma. Already Palma city council has decided to involve the mounted police in patrolling the historic area of the capital and around the cathedral and leaflets are being handed out to tourists to draw their attention to the dangers of petty crime and what to do in the event of falling victim to bag snatchers or the infamous “carnation sellers.” The past few years have witnessed a huge change in the attitude of policing Palma.