On Thursday, David Abril of Més called for the Balearics to have its own police force, one along the lines of Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra. He made the call in light of the terrorist incidents in Barcelona and Cambrils, arguing that an autonomous police force would address the "vulnerability" of the Balearics. He considered the management of the national government's delegation in the Balearics (responsible for security) to be insufficient. The level of protection from the state security forces was therefore, in his view, also insufficient.
The idea for a Balearics police force was very much under discussion during the period of the last PSOE-led government (from 2007 to 2011). Nothing was to come of it, largely because there wasn't the money. The possibility of creating a force is contained in the Balearics statutes of autonomy.
Responding to this call, the government's spokesperson, Pilar Costa, said yesterday that for the moment the issue of a police force is not on the government's agenda. She added that the government nevertheless respects all proposals and debate regarding an autonomous police force.