Every week I write and article for the Euro Weekly News, an English-speaking newspaper covering all the major resorts of Spain and the Balearics. You can pick up a copy on a Thursday ... or read it here every week. |
26 June 2008
Why is it that the Guardia Civil live up to their title and are in fact a great deal more civil than the Local variety? Time and time again I hear people complaining about local law enforcers who attitudes can range from unhelpful to rude and downright nasty. I am aware that the Guardia Civil are army affiliated and are consequently better trained and a more selective bunch of men and women but there is simply no excuse for the attitude of the other rather more mish mash local variety. I had a case in point only this week. We on Mallorca have been locked in bitter noise wrangling issues for years. The main problem being that it only takes one person to lodge an official complaint, or take out a denuncia and the police are forced to act. This can create the most ludicrous of situations. One of these occurred when a German gentleman purchased an apartment over the top of three music bars on Magaluf beach! He then began to lodge complaint after complaint to the local police. In the end the bars were forced to put in limiters which were so low that two of them went out of business altogether. I mean where's the justice in that? I digress. Back to this week. Once a year a very special local Lady has birthday party at her home which overlooks Palma Nova, one of our more popular resorts. She has been throwing these annual bashes for some twenty five years. This year was rather special as it was her 80 th . The 'do' began around four pm and the music and entertainment was to be provided by several local acts and finished off by a rock and roll band. As you can imagine this octogenarian occasion was not too partial to the likes of Black Sabbath so the entertainment hovered more around the far more gentle Sinatra/ country music areas. Everything was going swimmingly until around 8.30 pm (yes 8.30!) when the local police turned up. Someone had complained. In all fairness although it was the Local police that showed up they were fairly courteous. Never the less the made the hostess, who was also recovering from a serious leg operation walk all the way back from her front gate to her villa and up the stairs to collect her passport. They then filled out an official denuncia which can carry quite a heavy fine indeed. When they were asked what we were to do about the rest of the entertainment for a party they had already put a considerable damper on, they gave that old familiar shrug and told us to keep it down and take a chance no more denuncias were called for. This we did. The rest of the uninterrupted party broke up around eleven o'clock. At 11.30 as we were packing up the equipment they turned up again. This lot were an entirely different kettle of fish. The one in charge was a particularly bumptious individual who once again ordered our now exhausted hostess to 'get her passport'. Her protests that they already had her details and that the party had in fact ended more than a half an hour before. fell on deaf ears. After wearily doing as she was bid she once again protested that there were in fact no one left to make any noise. 'Yes there is' said the one in charge (who ether couldn't or wouldn't speak in anything but Spanish) 'you can hear it from the other end of your garden. Sure enough we had been listening to the yobbo strains of oggie oggie for some time, but this was issuing from the hotel next door, and as our hostess stated, often went on till 3 and 4am. 'But that's not here' protested yours truly 'that's the hotel next door'. A blank look came over all four of their faces. Quickly glancing in at the deserted garden they mumbled something to each other, all turned tail and sped off. No apologies, nothing. I mean just how rude can you get? Its time these people got their act together and have it brought home to them that not all people at the end of an official complaint are of the yobbo variety and should not be treated as such. A little manners can go along way from these servants of the public and the sooner the lesson is rammed home the better. Awright? Was that a great game on Sunday or what? Well done Espania you deserve every accolade thrown toward you. Thanks for 'making the day' of millions. Keep on winning. Keep on grinning. And whatever ya do always keep the faith. Love Leapy |
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