Thousands of young people are being caught drinking illegally in the streets and plazas in Palma every weekend.
Local and National Police Officers and Police Intervention Unit Officers were deployed to Playa de Palma on Saturday and Sunday to control around 12,000 people who were roaming the streets in the early hours of the morning.
Breathalysers are being carried out and industrial estates have been closed in a bid to prevent them from holding illegal drinking parties.
“We have more than 25,000 people in the streets every weekend, including tourists and Spaniards. By closing the polígonos we have eradicated a conflict in that area, but they have dispersed to other parts of the city. Right now one of the most conflictive points is the Paseo Marítimo. For this reason, we are going to intensify our presence there,” said one of the Commanders who revealed that on average the illegal drinkers are aged 14-17.
In the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning, Police patrols were stepped up in Playa de Palma, Son Castelló, Can Valero, Passeig Marítim, Secar de la Real, Santa Catalina and sa Feixina.
But the revellers just move on to other parts of the city and hundreds are now drinking in local Plazas to avoid Police sanctions, which is a nightmare for local residents.
For instance, when the bars and restaurants close in Plaza Drassana, hordes of people make their way to Es Baluard, where they carry on drinking, playing music and creating noise until 04:00 and the Police are nowhere to be seen.
At the weekend, 185 vehicles were stopped and 11 criminal and 10 administrative sanctions were issued.
Four vehicles were immobilised and more than 70 sanctions were drawn up for drug possession, non-compliance with licenses, non-compliance with Covid measures and drunk driving.