Manacor town hall plans to instal security cameras in parts of the municipality where there are particular issues with vandalism and what former mayor Pedro Rosselló refers to as "bad practices".
The cameras will be used to keep a watch over parks, public spaces and street furniture (benches and so on). They will also be used to monitor behaviour and seek to ensure "good practices". Before the town hall can put the cameras up, it has to adhere to legal requirements, which means getting authorisation from the national government's delegation. A technical committee is to be formed which will come up with a proposal for the legal framework.
Rosselló, who recently stepped down as mayor but is still a councillor (for the environment), is driving the initiative. "We have to take action. Vandalism and uncivil behaviour cost money and create a bad image."
Porto Cristo has had its high share of problems. The toilets in the municipal park have been the target for regular vandalism, while an underground walkway attracts graffiti and rubbish.
The councillor adds that the town hall will be guided by the local police and the Guardia Civil as well as by its legal advisors in arriving at the best legal way to control these troublesome areas. The municipal parks and squares at present have a lack of surveillance, while the dumping of rubbish - as in Porto Cristo - has led to numerous complaints from residents.