The number of bullying cases in the Balearic Islands has seen a 34% decrease in the 2023/24 school year compared to the previous year. According to the annual report of the Police Tutor programme, presented by the Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, and the programme’s coordinator, Rafel Covas, the rise in bullying cases in educational centres across the islands has significantly slowed down: while in the 2022/23 school year, cases increased by 49%, in the 2023/24 school year, the rise was limited to 15%.

The Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, alongside the Police Tutor coordinator, Rafel Covas. Photo: CAIB.

The regional government attributes this decline in the rise of bullying cases in the Balearic Islands to the reinforcement of preventive sessions by the Police Tutor programme, which have increased by 45%, with a particular focus on primary education. “This is an encouraging figure, but we cannot be fully satisfied until we achieve the complete eradication of this scourge,” Gárriz stated.

A programme impacting over 150,000 students

The Police Tutor service has been implemented in 372 educational centres across 61 municipalities of the islands, reaching 158,000 students at all levels. A total of 90 local police officers have actively participated in the programme.

By island, in Mallorca, the programme reached 289 schools and 131,000 students; in Menorca, 34 schools and 12,000 students; and in Ibiza and Formentera, 49 schools and 15,000 students. The service was rolled out in 48 municipalities of Mallorca with 66 officers, in seven municipalities of Menorca with 15 officers, and in six municipalities of Ibiza and Formentera with nine officers.

Police Tutor actions

During the 2023/24 school year, Police Tutors carried out 6,104 interventions, of which 2,822 took place within schools, 3,006 outside school environments, and 276 were related to the use of new technologies. Among the most notable data, there was a 5% reduction in severe truancy cases and a 10% decrease in interventions related to illegal drugs in school environments. However, student conflicts increased by 25%, while confrontations between students and teachers rose by 32%.

Outside the school environment, there was a 10% increase in interventions related to family conflicts and the protection of minors at risk. In Menorca, the total number of interventions rose by 21%, in Ibiza and Formentera by 5%, and in Mallorca by 10%. In Mallorca, a 19% decrease in drug-related incidents in school environments stood out.