13/09/2003 00:00
TW
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Staff Reporter POLICE in Palma will be out in force on Monday to ensure everything runs smoothly when children go back to school. Councillor Maria Teresa Jimenez said that there would be 150 officers on traffic detail near the 223 schools in the city. Jimenez, the councillor in charge of citizen security, added that the officers would be on duty throughout the school year “at the peak times of students' entering and leaving the school buildings”. As well as ensuring the safety of pupils, the officers will also control the flow of traffic. Jimenez explained that priority would be given to areas where there are a large number of schools when it came to posting the officers. The criteria that will be followed when deciding the number of officers to be allocated to each area are: the intensity of traffic at the peak times of the start and end of the school day, the degree of risk associated with surrounding streets and the overall environment. The city has been divided into three areas: “A” indicates areas that require closer attention due to the high number of schools, and officers will be on duty permanently. “B” category areas will have officers on duty “given their availability” and in zones classed as “C”, officer presence will be “itinerant” confirmed Jiménez.





The most dangerous areas Son Rapinya, Camp Redó, S´Escorxador and Son Gotleu.
In order to prevent traffic congestion during the first day of the new term, Jiménez advised residents to use public transport and avoid the use of cars for short journeys at peak times of entry and departure in the school day. Drivers should give themselves plenty of time to arrive at the schools in time, and start the journey half an hour before they need to arrive, she said.