Police presence in Paceville ‘needs to be strengthened’

Taking turns in addressing a session of the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee, various stakeholders said police presence in Paceville should be strengthened throughout the whole year.

The meeting, chaired by Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo, was aimed at discussing youths' behaviour in Paceville, but focused on the need to strengthen police presence in the area, without risking turning the area in to a ‘Police State’.

GRTU president for tourism and hospitality Philip Fenech said that the simple presence of police was not enough: “My appeal is not to simply have police present, but for a constant presence of Special Assignment Group officers who are well-trained for such situations.”

Fenech suggested that police should be spread around the whole of Paceville in fixed points.

Speaking in general about the locality, Fenech said it was unfair to characterise Paceville as being exclusively the domain of youths: “It is a dynamic environment which attracts families, young and old because of the services it offers. There are 20,000 people gravitating in the area.”

He added that the entertainment industry in Paceville was not only based on drinking, but that other places of entertainment such as restaurants and the cinema attracted people of all ages.”

Fenech added that Paceville acts as barometer of what’s going on in society: “It helps you determine how the economy is going, and the frustrations people are feeling, for example.”

“If there’s no back-up force outside of the bars, any trouble that starts inside the bars will only continue outside. And the police need back-up quite often – it’s not a question of ‘peak’ times.

GRTU President Paul Abela said it was unfair that retailers were suffering the blame of everything that goes in Paceville: “Those who think that not serving alcohol after 9pm would solve problems, are mistaken. Police themselves say that they are now finding alcohol bottles stowed away in cars.”

The district’s assistant commissioner Raymond Zammit voiced concern over the fact that no contingency plan existed in case something went wrong in Paceville. “Considering the large amount of people visiting Paceville an emergency plan is crucial,” Zammit said, mentioning by way of example a gas explosion. “If something goes wrong, police have no idea what to do.”

Zammit added that another “force” working against the police were the bouncers.

“Each establishment has bouncer services,” he pointed out. “In my opinion, they are another force that works against us… When the police show up, the bouncers tell them ‘don’t you dare touch the loudspeakers’… that isn’t a bouncer’s job – his job is to ensure that nothing else crops up.”

He added that instead, bouncers are warning people to put out their cigarettes because the police would be about to enter the premises.

Zammit argued that there should be a single, centralised security company. "Without it, Paceville can’t function," he said.

Police superintendent Stephen Gatt called for a study to be put together by all interested parties, with the aim of drafting an action plan that would thoroughly address the problems in Paceville.

Talking on youths, Gatt said: “Tolerance does not exist as a value among the young. If two youths bump into each other, their instinct is not to apologise, but to insult each other.”

Gatt also added that when compared to other countries, alcohol pricing in Malta is far too low, and that “despite there being restaurants in the area, Paceville remains a place catering almost exclusively for youths.”

St Julian’s deputy mayor Richard Scicluna said that despite the good progress in the last months on law and order, there is still room for improvement. Scicluna added that police were not monitoring sideroads: “I myself witnessed youths drinking, and performing other acts on the porches of houses.”

St Julian’s mayor Peter Bonello suggested that a police substation should be moved closer to Paceville, at least if need be only for the weekend. He added that there should also be a doctor and an ambulance standby.

Bonello also questioned whether Paceville was prepared for cases such as fire and other emergencies and suggested that a fire drill takes place. “We cannot completely eliminate the accidents, but we can contain and reduce them,” he said.

The SAC session was adjourned for next Monday.