The Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has announced the creation of the role of Civic Officers, who will operate under the Local Police and be responsible for providing “information, raising awareness, surveillance and direct contact”. Furthermore, they will be able to request the intervention of the Local Police to support their work.
Another announcement concerns the deployment of Local Police officers who will be stationed on EMT buses for preventive purposes. “There will be a selection of routes and time slots” where officers will patrol both in plain clothes and in uniform. Meanwhile, there will be increased investment in CCTV cameras, whilst Martínez highlighted that new facilities are underway in Son Castelló, Pere Garau and the new Nou Llevant station.
Martínez spoke about the labour dispute with the Local Police and noted that a consensus had been reached. “One in every four euros of this term’s budget is allocated to security.” Jaime Martínez also announced that he is to establish the Palma Metropolitan Area, which will include the municipalities of Calvia and Llucmajor.
Martínez pointed out that “Palma borders ten municipalities and, with three of them – Calvia, Marratxí and Llucmajor – forms a fully integrated urban, social and economic entity. There is a territorial and demographic continuity that transcends administrative boundaries and is articulated on a daily basis through road networks, the shared use of public services, mobility and urban development”.
For this reason, “in the coming weeks, to provide it with a structure capable of responding effectively, we will initiate contacts with the town councils of the municipalities bordering Palma and its urban area, with the Council of Mallorca and the Balearic Government to take the steps to make this strategic project a reality”. In this way, “the Metropolitan Area seeks to strengthen local autonomy, promote territorial cooperation and build a more efficient administration. The status of capital city demands greater funding, and this is what I have called for.”