This newspaper’s report that police in St Julian’s cannot cope with the workload is cause for concern, especially if the situation is symptomatic of what is happening in other districts.

The situation on the ground as recounted by sources – one can easily understand why those furnishing such information are not willing to go by name – contrasts sharply with the picture a Home Affairs Ministry spokeswoman tried to portray.

Times of Malta was told that, in the St Julian’s district – which includes San Ġwann, Swieqi and Paceville – only two officers are assigned to investigations and patrol and another two handle phone calls and file new cases.

The ministry spokeswoman insists the complement there grew from 52 to 63 last year. That may be the case but a closer look at what the “sources” had to say would explain why just going by deployment figures can be so misleading.

According to the sources, each shift consists of 12 officers; however, more often than not, that whittles down to four due to fixed-point duty, policemen stationed at feasts and sports activities, escort or guard deployment, ensuring roads are kept free of parked cars on given occasions, delivering official documents, sick leave, attending court sittings, training etc, etc. It is almost a miracle that the police station ends up with as many as four officers physically present, especially bearing in mind that Paceville is the island’s foremost entertainment mecca.

There is no doubt the situation must be addressed and urgently.

There are two ways to deal with a problem: you either ignore it – at your own peril – or address it head-on, determined to solve it. Unless, that is, you want to fool yourself that you are doing something about it but, in reality, only allow it to fester.

Judging by what an officer told this newspaper – that “the higher echelons of the police force seem to be totally oblivious to the situation on the ground where we are having little time to carry out patrols” – the third option seems very much to be the case.

Complaints about the safety-security aspect at Paceville have long been coming and they reach fever pitch after some nasty incident. A string of burglaries from homes in the Sliema/St Julian’s area recently resulted in an outcry for more effective police presence. The workload is overwhelming. Something like 6,000 reports were filed at the St Julian’s district in the first eight months, about 1,000 more than in the same period in 2013.

The highest number of burglaries from occupied residences and the highest number of armed robberies, muggings, pickpocketing and bag snatching cases were recorded in the district over the past five years.

Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit says the biggest problem at least with regard to Paceville is not a shortage of officers but many “careless and irresponsible” youth who frequent the place. He may, of course, be right but that state of affairs is likely to continue to prevail and it is his responsibility to ensure the bad elements are controlled.

So, while keeping both feet firmly on the ground and not expecting the police, or their political masters, to do the impossible, it is amply evident they need to take the bull by the horns.

Otherwise, the long arm of the law will lose much of its muscle.