Wardens recently reappeared patrolling the streets of Valletta in full force, after they had seemingly gone into hibernation.

Their absence had led to drivers flouting the law and getting away with it, according to residents who spoke to this newspaper.

The lack of enforcement had fuelled speculation that the local warden service in the capital had been suspended.

However, earlier this month wardens reappeared, at times in groups of three, and had a field day issuing tickets in certain areas notorious for contraventions.

Contacted by Times of Malta, Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli said the sudden crackdown was due to the fact there was a new company contracted to provide the local warden service.

The decision, he said, was taken by the regional committee managing the system, which was not satisfied by the level of enforcement.

At times wardens’ whereabouts could not be traced

“Their performance was close to nothing, as the service we were getting was very poor considering the costs,” he remarked.

“Problems were not only limited to Valletta, as at times the wardens’ whereabouts could not be traced, even though they were supposed to be carrying a tracking device.”

Valletta’s local warden system falls under the remit of the south eastern regional committee, which comprises 14 councils stretching from the capital down to Marsaxlokk.

From the beginning of this month, the committee agreed to hand over the service previously run by Sterling Security to The Guard and Warden Service House.

Prof. Dingli said the early feedback was positive, with residents remarking that the general level of enforcement had improved.