POLICE JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT CRIME

PALMA
THE National Police and Palma's Local Police forces are going to increase their level of co-operation as they step up their efforts to crack down in crime.

The Director General of the National Police and the Guardia Civil, Joan Mesquida, yesterday met the new Mayor of Palma, Aina Calvo, to discuss the programme for National Police Day, which will be hosted by Palma this yearn and policing in the capital.

Mesquida, accompanied by the central government delegate to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, revealed that talks on how local and National police forces can co-operate better across the country will start this week. But he said the he is determined to establish a much closer working relationship and intends to give the green light to Local Police officers being stationed in National Police incident rooms and vicer-versa.

Mesquida explained that this will enable the security forces to respond much faster to any major incidents.
The rise in violent clashes between South Americans gangs in Palma have caused serious concern and while the police have singled out 600 individuals for close surveillance, police chiefs are desperate to prevent an escalation of hostilities between the Latin gangs.

Another relatively new problem in the Balearics is that of illegal immigration and Mesquida gave fresh assurances that everything is being done to stem the arrival of boats of immigrants from North and West Africa.

He said that central government has adopted a firm line on illegal immigrations and “is going to stick to it. While we are working with the government in the countries of origin, mass repatriation is the best deterrent and this summer it appears to have worked because the number of illegal immigrants trying to sail to Spain has fallen.”