The Partido Popular opposition are pointing to data which suggest that Palma is now the fifth most unsafe city in Spain with 50,000 or more residents. This compares with the situation in 2016 when Palma was sixteenth.
The president of the PP in Palma, Jaime Martínez, attributes this to "the progressive loss of local police officers". According to the PP's own figures, there are currently 600 officers on the streets, whereas there were 1,000 twenty years ago, at a time when the population of the municipality was some 100,000 lower.
Martínez, a former Balearic tourism minister and likely PP candidate for mayor at the next election, says that if the number of officers doesn't increase to at least 900 by the time of the election (May 2023), the PP will increase numbers "when we come to govern". In his view, residents of Palma have had enough of high crime rates, which he blames on a lack of security on the streets, "especially at night".
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@Stephan 'Very dangerous places on the Paseo Maritmo' Is this a joke? Please name them as I've never seen anything even slightly dangerous or dodgy there. It's safer there than any UK city centre.
I'm not sure which box to put that in. The "exaggerator" box, or the "haven't a clue" box. Or perhaps the "the natives are third world" box. By the way, the highest crime rate on the island isn't in Palma, or any of the larger cities. It's Magaluf/Palmanova and Calvia in general. By a surprisingly large margin.
Palma has gone really downhill with graffiti everywhere and questionable establishments operating right by the Paseo Maratimo, very dangerous places now even in the early evening. When we pointed out the horrific graffiti everywhere our Majorcan friends seemed oblivious to it.
I feel safe in Palma. No difference between now and 5 years ago.
When gangs and criminals are arrested, doesn't that rather indicate police successes? Or is it that if they're not caught, then it's out of mind? "Why the hell aren't you doing something about this?". Erm, yes, well, they are in jail. Should we have held a public lynching?
The PP should not really brag to much after a lot of there own scandals and difficulties however they are in opposition and everyone is very concerned about the lack of security and Police presence to confront the current Crime Wave , yesterday in the court with the defendants of Drug dealing being sentenced and those in the dock waving there hands basically saying you lot are Laughable and there right they are not going to be penalised hardly at all and by the summer they will be back on the streets , dealing in drugs prostitution etc , if the government docent respond to this with clear action PP is going to SMASH the PSOE in the next election .