In addition to today having been Spain’s National Day, it was also the feast day for Our Lady of the Pillar - Nuestra Señora del Pilar - who is the patroness of the Guardia Civil. Celebrations for 12 October in the Balearics are less about the national day and more about Pilar and so a saluting of the work of the Guardia Civil.
Accordingly, Teresa Palmer, the national government delegate to the Balearics, who has responsibility for the islands’ security forces, paid tribute to the force and their efforts in Magalluf in particular, where there has been a “radical change” since, as she put it, “the crisis brought about by a mix of alcohol, sex and social networks.”
Palmer drew attention to the positive results in terms of behaviour in the resort and to the collaboration with the British police. “Their participation in patrols (in Magalluf) was a clear success for their fellow countrymen and women and, in policing terms, was highly rewarding, as demonstrated with the recent arrest of a Briton who was wanted for murder.”
Palmer praised the Guardia Civil as “an example who give confidence in everything Spanish to be taken pride in.” In a further reference to Magalluf (nearby anyway), she stressed the “tireless work” of those in the force searching for Malén Ortiz, the fifteen-year-old girl who went missing in December 2013. Finding her “remains a priority,” despite the lack of results until now.