Joined forces for coastal surveillance

The forces of law and order are working together again this summer to provide surveillance around Maltese waters.

Details about their work were given yesterday as the chiefs of the various forces and members of the Cabinet joined the press for a tour to Comino and back on the fire-fighting vessel Garibaldi.

Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said the Armed Forces of Malta, the Police Force, the Civil Protection Department and the department's 70 volunteers were involved in the coordinated surveillance work.

The CPD operates around Maltese beaches using the Garibaldi and its dinghies. It intensifies its work at weekends, on the days following a village festa and on public holidays.

The Garibaldi is stationed at Comino to oversee the Gozo ferry route and other seacraft. Regular patrols are carried out by dinghy.

In June there were 16 cases which required the CPD's intervention. These included fires and other boating incidents.

CPD personnel did lifeguard duties on a number of beaches with 67 interventions being carried out between June and July.

Apart from coastal duties, the department was also involved in a number of calls for assistance following fires in homes (37), fires in fields and woods (551) as well as in calls to save animals in distress (17).

There were also 45 hoaxes bringing the number of false alarms this year up to 110.

This Dr Borg said, was a very serious criminal act which could be considered as sabotage if it caused severe disruptions ino the country.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Tony Abela said that the main beach operations of the AFM were not around the coast but further out at sea, dealing with illegal migration.

In all, a total of 1,134 persons landed on Maltese shores this year including 24 yesterday morning.

The AFM's Maritime Section was also involved in 84 alerts, eight flare sightings, 52 medical evacuations, 18 towing operations and another 24 calls for assistance.

Furthermore, it was involved in 48 explosive ordinance disposal operations.

On land, the army organised 130 vehicle checkpoints, checking 891 vehicles resulting in 39 drug finds as well as 50 minor contraventions.

Police Commissioner John Rizzo said that the Administrative Law Enforcement unit carried out beach patrols between July and September and three boats conducted patrols to enforce maritime legislation.

A total of 66 persons have been arraigned this year accused of breaching maritime laws.

Thirty-three were accused of speeding, five of not having their registration, two for not having their license affixed, three for careless driving, eight for being on jet skis or boats in swimming zones and one for fishing in port using illegal methods.

The commissioner said that patrols were also carried out by the Dog and Horse Sections and by policemen on bicycles.

Brigadier Carmel Vassallo and the head of the Civil Protection Department Peter Cordina were also on the tour.