Government responsibility for public safety

I hope that by the time this goes to print, Luke Micallef is out of danger and will soon be home united with his family.

I fully concur with Luke’s father that the accident could have been avoided had there been some form of fence.

Civil Protection Department director Patrick Murgo stated that “this was an unfortunate incident in terms of safety. Having a higher wall or railing around the edge of the water course could have helped”. I would like to correct him when he said “this was an unfortunate incident in terms of safety”; he should have stated “in terms of lack of safety”. Having a higher wall or railing would definitely have helped and not “could have helped”. The height of the fenceless area where the poor boy fell is five metres!

Contrary to what the director of the Civil Protection Department said, the reality is that it is the authorities’ responsibility to ensure the safety of the public in public places! We are in the 21st century and no longer living at a time when anything used to be accepted and there were no rules or regulations. Now that our island is a member of the European Union, there are safety rules which the island has to adhere to. Perhaps Malta can apply for a grant from the EU to conduct a survey of all public parks and gardens and for professional and financial assistance to render them as safe as possible.

Just as a vehicle owner can seek compensation from the government if he happens to drive into a pothole and his car sustains damage, I would imagine any person who suffers an injury due to lack of safety in a public place has a right to redress from the same government.