British police to patrol Spanish resorts

mallorcaBritish police are off to Magaluf and Ibiza to deal with British nationals who are involved in crime or who become victims of crime.

West Midlands police are sending two officers to assist the Spanish Guardia Civil in the resorts, both of which attract thousands of British young adults intent on partying.

Three years ago some 500 Brits were arrested in Magaluf and Ibiza, the majority of which were for drugged or drunken behaviour, including fights and criminal damage. That year, three British holidaymakers died after falling from hotel balconies. Reports of rapes and muggings have gone up.

Mallorca has been trying to regain its dignity by clamping down on bar crawls and drinking in the streets.

The new restrictions come after international publicity was given to mobile phone footage of an 18-year-old woman from Northern Ireland performing oral sex on 24 men in exchange for drinks. A DJ can be heard calling her a “slag”.

The presence of British police has been described as a trial, but police officers from Portugal as well as France, Germany, Italy, and Morocco have previously accompanied the Guardia Civil on tourist hotspot patrols.