Are you between 30 and 40 years old, happy to party and want to help reduce the number of infections? Then the Spanish authorities will be happy to talk to you.
Illegal gatherings have become an increasing problem in Ibiza, and the authorities on the Spanish party island now want to recruit a group of foreign scouts who can infiltrate the parties, and then report to the police.
Ibiza has for decades been a gathering place for people who love nightlife and music, but a sharp increase in cases of infection means that most of the usually so popular nightclubs are closed.
Despite the closure, the island has 100,000 inhabitants registered 1814 cases of infection the last two weeks, and the authorities believe illegal parties are to blame.
The police have no chance
To overcome the problem, the authorities have, among other things, banned various households from gathering between 01 and 06. Fines of almost 6.3 million kroner (!) Are also threatened for those who dare to arrange illegal parties.
The staggering fines are clearly not enough to stop the party lions in the Mediterranean.
“They are not just a problem in terms of disorder, something they always have been, but now they pose a serious threat to people’s health,” Mariano Juan told local newspaper Diario de Ibiza.
– This is what Ibiza’s streets look like when there is no pandemic, here from 2012. Photo: Jaime Reina / AFP
–
Juan represents the authorities on the small island, and says the police have no chance in meeting the partying hordes:
– The police themselves say it is difficult for them to infiltrate the parties, as the locals recognize them. So we have to look for outside help.
Hope the scouts are in place soon
The Guardian writes that the parties are promoted on social media and in hotels, and that most of them are held in private homes. This means that the participants are a mix of locals, tourists and seasonal workers. Most of the illegal parties are held in private homes, and promoted on social media and hotels.
The number of partygoers has multiplied in a short time, and the police here are close to being able to reach everyone and at the same time handle other assignments. Therefore, the authorities have obtained help from a company that analyzes how best to infiltrate the parties.
– It is not that simple, as we look for foreigners who are between 30 and 40 years old. We have been working on it for two weeks, says Juan.
Both he and the rest of the authorities still feel confident that a group of party scouts has been recruited soon.
– I have no doubt that the operation will be ready during the summer. It is necessary to protect Ibiza.
Criticized
Juan may think it is necessary, but it is far from certain that the scouts will be particularly effective. Police entering private homes without a search warrant have long been a controversial issue in Spain, and the authorities will probably have limited access to act against the parties, even if they are tipped off by people inside.
The proposal also meets with political opposition. The Socialist Party, which leads the local government on the small island, is very critical of the idea of party scouts. Spokesman Vincent Torres asks the authorities on the island to come up with “serious proposals that have the support of the law”.
– They act irresponsibly by proposing ideas we can not agree with, it sounds from Torres.
–
