[WATCH] Lax enforcement is Paceville’s biggest plague – PN

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The Nationalist Party has made 20 proposals with the aim of reversing the laissez faire attitude in Paceville and improving safety and security in the entertainment mecca. 

Opposition deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said the biggest problem in Paceville is the lack of enforcement, and most of the PN proposals focus on strengthening law enforcement.

Fenech Adami said clubs and bars guilty of admitting underage persons and selling them alcohol should be hit with heftier fines and possibly the suspension of operating licences.

Currently operators are fined €233 for every underage patron they allow in but only eight fines have been issued this year despite hundreds if not thousands of underage people make their way to Paceville every week.

“Some operators factor in fines as a calculated risk but sanctions are not effective unless they act as a deterrent,” he said.   

On 15 November, six minors aged under 16 were among 74 youths who got injured after a glass banister at the PlusOne club in Paceville collapsed under the pressure of several people who were rushing out down the staircase. 

Noting that some of the people injured in last month’s stampede are still recovering in hospital, Fenech Adami said the recommendations stem from the urgent need to guarantee peace of mind to young people and their parents.

At a press conference this afternoon, the PN proposed that the Paceville area become administratively separate to St Julians and as such have its own police station to serve the thousands of visitors the entertainment hotspot receives. 

The proposals also include the installation of a CCTV system, a special allowance for officers stationed in Paceville, the refurbishment of the St Julians police station and a rotation system whereby officers spend a maximum of five years working in the area.

Other proposals include training for police officers in managing security concerns in entertainment venues, the setting up of a security committee, the creation of a registry for security personnel and yearly fire and safety drills for venues with a capacity of over 100 people.