Espadaler: "Statistics show that Catalonia is a safe destination."
On 12 June, Ramon Espadaler, regional head of internal affairs, officially opened the "Conference on Public Safety and Tourism", which was held at the Olympic Congress Centre in Lloret del Mar (Catalonia), stressing the importance of the relationship between public safety and tourism, which for Espadaler is essential because "public safety is one of the determining factors when choosing a holiday destination, even more so than the cost or cultural offerings."
During the conference, organized by the Catalonian Institute for Public Safety (ISPC), Espadaler highlighted three basic aspects to be borne in mind when striving to improve public safety: coordination between institutions, police forces, courts and the tourism industry; prevention ("taking preventive measures when addressing public safety is worthwhile; it’s a good investment," he stated); and reaction (reacting to crimes and facilitating things for tourists who could be victims," he insisted).
Along these lines, Espadaler stressed that the number of crimes committed against tourists is on the decline. In 2013, the number fell by 9.7% in Catalonia, compared with the year before, while the number of petty thefts was down by 11%.
Espadaler concluded by congratulating the ISPC for the organization of the conference and encouraged the 250 attendees to continue the good work in similar forums of debate. "Public safety is a shared responsibility, strategies have to be aligned to achieve a safe environment," Espadaler concluded.
At the opening ceremony, Espadaler was accompanied by Roma Codina, mayor of Lloret, and Nuria Aymerich, director of ISPC. The conference was also attended by Eudald Casadesús, regional government delegate for Gerona, Fernando Lacaba, president of the Provincial Courts of Gerona, Albert Ballesta, director of territorial services of Gerona, Joaquim Belenguer, Gerona police commissioner, Joaquim Martín, inspector of the Metropolitan Police of Lloret del Mar, Francesc Cardus, police inspector for the Selva area, and the President of the Hospitality Industry Federation of Lloret del Mar, among others.
Lloret Town Council, one of Catalonia’s most important tourist destinations, collaborated closely with the Catalonian Police Academy and the Regional Police (Mossos de Esquadra) in organizing the event, which featured keynotes delivered by representative of the Regional Police, the Catalonian Tourist Agency, the British Consulate in Barcelona, the Hospitality Industry Federation of Lloret del Mar, Port Aventura, and Barcelona Port.
The conference on public safety and tourism held at the Olympic Congress Centre in Lloret
