Police officer in Muro, Mallorca

Police officer in Muro. | MDB

Andrew EdeMuro27/11/2024 18:37
TW
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It is not a totally new situation. Seven years ago, the local police in Muro warned that they may not be available 24 hours a day over the summer because of a shortage of officers. It was pointed out in 2017 that there had been as many as 34 officers in 2005. Ahead of the 2017 tourism season there were only twelve. There was also an occasion when the police drew attention to what they felt were deficiencies with working conditions.

The police numbers were increased, but tensions between the force and the town hall have resurfaced. A few days ago there was a report of a potential stampede of officers leaving Muro. It depends how one defines a stampede, but twelve have left so far this year. Currently there are fifteen. But for how much longer?

The "terrible working conditions" suffered over several years are once again an issue - an obsolete station, police cars not in a good condition. And officers say that the mayor's response to their complaints is that if they are not satisfied, then the door is always open. The twelve who have left in 2024 have moved to different municipalities that offer better conditions.

Apart from the salaries, among the lowest in the Balearics, there is the insecurity when out on patrol because there aren't the numbers of officers for backup. For some services, given the shifts, there are only two available officers.

One officer says: "The worst part of all this is that residents suffer from the poor service that we are forced to provide. We all end up leaving for other municipalities, where they respect us." The mayor, Miquel Porquer, is blamed for the situation.