The main association of the Guardia Civil, Jucil, today complained that the Balearics have become ‘a paradise for criminals’, due to the ‘worrying shortage of personnel’, especially during the Easter and summer holiday periods. The organisation has issued a statement denouncing the lack of personnel as ‘a major problem for public safety’, especially during the holidays and in areas such as the Balearics, where the population increases exponentially.
They specifically warn that this Easter, when 92% of hotel beds will be available in Mallorca, the Guardia Civil will have no reinforcements. They are calling for improvements in the conditions of the officers posted on the islands and warn that the lack of officers is increasing year on year.
Among the reasons for the shortage of officers, Jucil points out that the insularity bonus received by the Guardia Civil in the Balearics has been frozen for 20 years, when it first started to be paid; and the ‘very high’ cost of living on the islands, aggravated by inflation over the last 20 years, which makes access to housing practically impossible for the Guardia Civil and their families’.
According to Jucil, most officers are assigned to the Balearics ‘by force’ and only a small number voluntarily accept their temporary transfer on secondment, a formula in which their income ‘is much higher than what they would receive for an ordinary transfer’.
They add that the lack of personnel also means a ‘very high workload’, which also means that the officers want to return to the mainland ‘as soon as the slightest opportunity arises to leave’.
The problem affects all of the Balearics, where some of the main posts lack sufficient officers and non-commissioned officers, but they warn of a ‘particularly worrying’ case, which is the Son Sant Joan airport, where there is a lack of intermediate and senior staff. And, Formentera only has 25 Guardia Civil and should be double that.
They explain that, in the summer, the shortage is attempted to be covered with occasional reinforcements such as the two units of the Reserve and Security Groups (GRS) that are sent to the areas of Calvia and Sant Antoni, or personnel who are temporarily incorporated into certain special units such as traffic, canine guides or judicial police, in addition to the student interns. They point to the upward trend in crime in the Balearics, with more than 80,300 crimes in 2024, 2.4% more, while the national average fell by 0.3%.
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Is it a lack of personal or just bad management, as every morning there are around 6 - 10 police stood around chatting in Plaza Espana for hours. I image this happens all over the island.
It has been like that for a VERY LONG TIME , every criminal in Europe look´s to Spain Mallorca Ibiza as a place to run for cover when being pursued by the Authorities , better don't say anymore the previous Government sold all the appartment´s that they used to house the police in from Madrid Barcelona with there families in the summer now that´s over so no one wants to come anymore !!!!
Perhaps the new schemes to be completed before entry, will stop the Criminal people from coming to Spain and the Islands.