Almost all the 44 video surveillance cameras planned by Pollensa Town Hall have now been installed. Placed in locations where there have been recurring issues, such as theft, the dumping of waste and the poisoning of animals, investment in the system has been around €100,000, partly funded by the tourist tax.
At a control centre in the local police headquarters, three monitors allow real-time monitoring of all the places covered by the cameras. An app enables remote management of the system and facilitates police response time.
Maria José Jiménez, Pollensa's police delegate, stresses that "the cameras are for security". But images, if they provide sufficient evidence, can be used for prosecution purposes.
The system complies with current legislation, and Pollensa is not the first municipality in Mallorca to have extensive video surveillance of public areas.
But while many welcome this type of system as an effective means of crime prevention and improving security, others argue it is an invasion of privacy and a step toward excessive control of public spaces.
In the case of poisoning, the use of cameras became a hotly debated topic because of repeated incidents of dogs being poisoned at the so-called dog beach in Llenaire, Puerto Pollensa.