By Jason Moore
SON Oliva is a residential area just off the Soller road and close to the Son Castello industrial estate.
This once quiet suburb has burst on to the scene thanks to gang violence more reminiscent of a Hollywood movie than an area of a relatively small city. It appears that a group of youths were charging anyone who wanted to go to the municipal park an entrance fee of four euros. This led to a clash of rival gangs armed with baseball bats and knives. The police were forced to intervene and on Thursday, as a show of force, at least 200 officers were sent to the area. This massive police operation is still underway amid fears that there could be further explosions of violence. The Son Oliva gang all aged in their teens claim that they are trying to protect their neighbourhood from rival groups. This state of affairs could be just dismissed as an element of the long hot summer but obviously the police are taking the situation seriously. The Son Oliva incident, and others which have taken place across Palma, has led the municipal police to establish a special gang taskforce. It is time that the council paid more attention to what is happening in some parts of Palma instead of lavishing large sums on the city centre. Also, there is the problem of a lack of police resources. Not a very happy state of affairs.
Palma´s gang wars