Editorial

Many young people, especially those from Northern countries, who visit Malta either on holiday or to study English, or both, are often amazed at the seemingly unrestricted access which their Maltese contemporaries, or younger, have to beer, wine and alcohol. They are even more amazed at the lack of enforcement of the laws governing drinking, such as they are. It is no wonder then that many of the foreign youngsters visiting us, having tasted the freedom of unrestricted drinking with no questions asked, go on similar binges.

After all, we have seen this happen in other countries too - in Britain, binge drinking by young people (though not under-age) - and the trouble it gets them into is becoming a veritable headache for the authorities.

One can safely say that in Malta many traffic accidents, especially those happening late at night, involve drink-driving. Too much drink is also responsible for rowdiness, violence and other misbehaviour, some of it quite serious.

In our latest public opinion survey - whose conclusions are carried in full on page 53 of this issue - we set out to find what the Maltese think about young people and drink and related topics.

The home and the family is where young people's values, priorities and behaviour in society are moulded. Parents set a powerful example, whether good or bad. This applies also to drinking habits, restrictions regarding minors, or lack of them. However, peer pressure can be just as powerful an influence on young people. Other powerful influences include television and films, where some of the lifestyles depicted are hardly the epitome of proper upbringing.

Today young people are constantly bombarded by commercials, directly or indirectly advertising a bewildering array of consumer goods, among them alcoholic drinks; these include fashionable mixes and 'energy drinks'.

As things stand, the sale of alcohol to under-16s is prohibited in Malta. But enforcing the law is another matter. By margins of over 96 per cent, respondents in our survey were against allowing the sale of alcohol to minors from bars, shops and supermarkets. For 71 per cent of the Maltese, the owners of these establishments should be held responsible for selling booze to minors.

As happens in various other areas of Maltese life, law enforcement is lacking. In fact only 30 per cent think the law against the sale of alcohol to minors is being observed. Similarly the law against drink driving: only 19 per cent believe the police are doing enough in this regard. Very few drivers have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Not surprisingly, over 85 per cent want the minimum age for the buying and consumption of alcohol raised to 18. But it is doubtful if the new minimum will be enforced, seeing that the current one is hardly being observed.

Lack of enforcement is not entirely the fault of the police... they are hampered by the lack of manpower and other resources at their disposal. However, investing in more resources is certainly more economical in the long run than having to deal with the problems which too much drinking can create - accidents, hospitalisation, violence and crimes - not to mention emotional scars.

Our respondents indicated other ways of trying to control the problem of drinking among young people and minors: enforce earlier closing times for bars and night clubs and introduce a curfew (this found 76 per cent of respondents in agreement) so that young people under 16 caught outside after certain hours are picked up and taken home by the police.

This, in fact, is another source of amazement to foreign visitors - the sheer number of youngsters, some as young as 13, roaming the streets of Paceville (the girls, sometimes, in the skimpiest of dresses) late at night.But to be able to enforce the curfew, and impose the fines being suggested by our respondents, the police have to be properly equipped, especially since patrolling cannot always be done on foot. Apparently there are some legal complications about using plainclothes policemen or women to enter bars and nightclubs in search of law-breakers, but one would think that the mere sight and presence of uniformed officers in the street would at least serve as a deterrent to youngsters who overstay their evenings out.

The problem therefore has to be attacked on at least three fronts: toughening of existing laws and the introduction of new ones, a serious effort at enforcement coupled with providing the forces of law and order with the means to carry out such enforcement, and an educational campaign in schools and on the media aimed particularly at young audiences, but also with parents and educators in mind.