Spain holidays: More police sent to popular holiday destinations ahead of high tourist season to tighten security

More police are being sent to areas across Spain in a bid to tighten security as the high tourist season begins. The National Police have brought forward the security plan for Palma by a month and today (Tuesday 4 June) more police officers are due to arrive from Valencia.

According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the aim is to reinforce different police stations in the Balearics with extra police in shopping areas of the islands to limit the number of thefts. The head of the citizen security brigade, Fernando Corchero, said that there has been no increase in the number of thefts reported in the city compared to the same period in 2023 but “does not mean that there have not been more thefts” and “what we do know is that they do not report more for fear of reprisals”.

In Playa de Palma, the National Police have confirmed that there will be more security than last year this summer due to a greater influx of tourists. In Palma, the focus of vigilance is on the centre, such as Sindicat, Oms, Jaume II, Sant Miquel and Colom streets, and in the municipality’s large shopping centres. 

Mr Corchero said that the presence of German and Dutch police is expected in Palma, and British police are expected to be deployed to Calvia. Other police such as the Italian or French will be deployed in municipalities where there is a greater presence of tourists of these nationalities.

In 2015, two British police officers spent two weeks assisting local police in Magaluf and Sant Antoni, Ibiza as part of a trial run, but it was never repeated. The British Ambassador to Spain at the time , Simon Manley, said: “The presence of UK police officers will help to remind British holidaymakers of the importance of respecting local laws and customs, ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday, free from trouble and crime.”

The heightened security comes as anti-tourism sentiment has rocked Spain, particularly Palma. As many as  1,000 protestors marched against mass tourism in Ibiza on Friday 24 March and thousands took to the streets of Palma on Saturday 25 March. Campaigners held up banners saying 'We don't want an island of cement' and 'Tourism, yes but not like this'.