Robbery in Can Pastilla: Luxury watch worth €6,000 — escape by e-scooter reveals vulnerabilities

Robbery on a hotel terrace in Can Pastilla: Watch gone, questions remain

It was a sunny Thursday midday on the Avenida de las Playas: sea breeze, seagull cries, the clinking of coffee cups — and suddenly a hand moved too fast. A German holidaymaker lost her wristwatch, estimated at around €6,000. The incident lasted only minutes, but created an atmosphere that still hung over the promenade in the evening.

The central question: How can a brief, loud assault in the middle of a busy hotel strip so quickly end in a flight by e-scooter — and what does that say about our security gaps?

The sequence: distraction, assault, scooter escape

Witnesses report the rapid cooperation of two perpetrators: while one drew attention, the other grabbed the bracelet. A brave couple pounced on the main attacker, a hotel employee helped tie him up. But in the commotion an accomplice took the chance: he grabbed the watch, jumped on a white e-scooter and sped off towards Playa de Palma. The 31-year-old man who was held is now in custody; the man on the scooter is being sought.

More than an isolated case — a pattern

This is not an isolated crime. The trick is well known: distract, grab, flee. Popular escape methods include scooters and e-scooters — fast, maneuverable and often available via rental systems for a short time. The promenade along Playa de Palma offers ideal conditions: many people, short sightlines, narrow side alleys as escape routes.

What is discussed less are the technical and organizational factors that aid perpetrators: surveillance cameras have blind spots, scooter stations are not fully monitored, and rental data is sometimes not immediately accessible to investigators. The behaviour of guests also plays a role — jewellery left openly on a table is practically an invitation.

Specific vulnerabilities — and how they could be closed

It is not enough to simply increase the police presence — although more patrols on weekends make sense. What is decisive are coordinated measures:

1. Staff training in hotels and restaurants: Staff should be specifically trained: de-escalation, safe and lawful restraint, immediate measures for evidence preservation and first aid. A practiced team can hold suspects longer while protecting guests.

2. Faster data access from e-scooter providers: Operators must have binding protocols for prompt handover of user data and GPS traces. Anonymity must not become a safe haven for criminals.

3. Technical assistance: Geofencing for sensitive zones, better camera coverage with reduced blind spots, and coordinated lighting in side streets would limit escape options.

4. Public outreach: A multilingual awareness campaign on promenades and in hotels — short, friendly and practical — can do a lot: do not wear jewellery openly, keep valuables in the safe, keep bags closed.

There is also room legally and organizationally

Municipal checks of rental systems, requirements for scooter registration and an obligation for minimum data retention for investigations would be effective short-term steps. Hoteliers should review their camera equipment — not to monitor guests, but to provide usable footage in an emergency. And the police could appoint fixed contacts at rental firms to shorten access times.

What tourists and residents can do immediately

Practical neighbourhood help often helps immediately: keep your eyes open, note licence plates or distinctive features, take photos (safely and without escalating), call the police directly. Investigators explicitly ask for tips: Anyone who saw unusual riding maneuvers on a white e-scooter heading towards Playa de Palma between 14:20 and 14:40 or can describe distinctive features (helmet colour, backpack, speed) should come forward.

A personal impression of the promenade

I was on site: the wind smelled of salt, people pushed prams, waiters balanced trays. And yet: the lightness of a day at the beach was gone for a moment. Such incidents leave traces — not only on the bodies of the victims (scrapes, bruises), but also on the feeling of being carefree.

The promenade is a meeting place, marketplace and workplace at the same time. If we close the security gaps there — technically, organisationally and through joint behaviour — we protect not only watches, but the quality of public space itself.