More police needed to combat rising crime

SOCIALIST parliamentary spokesman, Antoni Diéguez, urged the central government representative in the Balearics, Miquel Ramis, to provide a full complement of security forces for the Islands before the end of the year. Diéguez said that according to the Public Prosecutor's Annual Report, the Balearics registered a 12.62 percent growth in crime in 2002. “Crime figures are appalling” on the Islands, declared Diéguez, who pointed to the fact that 150'398 offences were committed last year, a figure commensurate with felonies committed in the Basque Country. The spokesman condemned the fact there are security force posts still unfilled, and warned that the creation of tourist police units announced by the Interior ministry “won't resolve the Islands' problems”. The Socialist deputy believed that the tourist police will only be partially effective because of the seasonal nature of their work. He announced that the Socialists will present an appeal to the Interior minister, José María Rodríguez, to take up the issue of ensuring a full complement of police forces in the Balearics. Diéguez described as “scandalous”, the announcement by the central government delegation that a sex attacker has been operating for two-and-half years in Palma because “people have a right to know about such dangers, in the same way that they should be informed of any other alarming matter”, he said. The spokesman declared that a “maladjustment” exists between the figures contained in the Public Prosecutor's Annual Report and those offered by the Government Delegation because the latter had failed to report traffic-related crimes.