When Esther Ribas took over as chief of the Calvia Police, one of her priorities was to address behaviour on Magaluf's 'strip', Calle Punta Ballena.
The police and the Guardia Civil are on regular patrol, but the strip is not like it used to be. There are of course still incidents, inevitably so because of the numbers of people and the drinking, but there is less trouble.
Perhaps this is because of the tourism of excesses decree, which was originally approved shortly before the pandemic state of alarm in 2020. But a veteran local businessman believes there is a different reason. "Many of those who come here are children of tourists who came 20 years ago. They've heard almost mythical stories about Punta Ballena, and some leave a little disappointed because those revelries are unthinkable today. Back then there were no phones or social media, so anonymity was almost guaranteed."
A police source adds support to this view. "Nowadays everyone has phones and there are cameras everywhere. Practically everything is recorded. That's something that even the wildest revellers don't like. When they return home, they face having their 'exploits' posted on the internet forever. And the criminals don't like all the cameras either. They know the Guardia Civil can locate them at the scene of a crime."
A Guardia Civil officer says: "Twenty years ago, real savages came. They just wanted to cause a ruck and then brag about it back in the UK. It was like a ritual. Now there are more normal young people and lots of hen parties. Every night we have girls celebrating with their friends." These 'new' tourists are less belligerent than their predecessors, and this year not a single case of 'balconing' has been recorded.
"There's been so much talk in their country about accidents and deaths, so the lessons have been learned." But as he speaks, two drunken Britons start hitting each other in the street. Punta Ballena has changed a lot, but not totally.