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The new Calvia bylaw for promoting co-existence has been passed by the town hall. It deals with issues such as street prostitution, balconing and the street-drinking botellón parties, with fines of up to 3,000 euros.

The new ordinance reduces the number of articles from 268 to 67, with many previous matters, such as water supply, having been embraced by other bylaws. It places emphasis on behaviour, that of residents and tourists, and makes clear that visitors to the municipality should respect standards of co-existence and hygiene. The bylaw was first drawn up in May last year, with the aim of improving public order in the likes of Magalluf.

Among its provisions, there is a ban on the sale of alcohol to people who are already drunk, while the consumption of alcohol is to be regulated and prohibited in public areas and when it might cause a nuisance to residents. There is a specific banning of the botellón.

Prostitution will attract fines of between 600 and 1,500 euros (and this will cover clients as well as prostitutes), while balconing will have a fine of up to 3,000 euros for those who either engage in it or incite it.

The Partido Popular opposition at the town hall is already criticising the new ordinance. It will turn the local police into tax collectors and not help with public safety, the party argues. It won't solve current problems and nor will it meet the needs of the police force. The PP suggests that residential areas of the municipality which require police surveillance and controls will find these being reduced.

The party stresses the high number of emergencies that the police need to deal with. In addition to basic duties such as traffic, it believes that there should be a specialised and professional force that is dedicated to public safety. Social circumstances have changed, the PP contends, and so the police cannot be relegated to duties of imposing fines. A particular omission in the ordinance is a patrol for rural areas, where there have been theft and environmental offences.

There is further criticism of the decision to recruit ten new police officers and so not take on the temporary police who have worked in Calvia over the past few summers. The PP says that they have done excellent work and know the municipality. Rather than there being a pool of these temporary officers, they will now find themselves out of work this summer.