Owners of foreign-registered cars who commit traffic offences are evading punishment, while locally registered vehicles are slapped with fines, according to mayors and residents who contest police claims that there is no discrimination.
Residents of Sliema and St Paul’s Bay – two areas that host a large number of foreigners – constantly complain about parking abuses by owners of cars with foreign-registered plates but they say reports to police fall on deaf ears because they are told owners of foreign cars cannot be traced.
The police last Thursday attempted to allay concerns they might be turning a blind eye to foreign-registered cars in breach of the law, saying they were towing them when necessary and sending tickets to their owners.
They were answering questions put by this newspaper after numerous complaints received about abuse by cars with foreign registration plates.
If the police say they are towing them, they have no idea what they’re talking about. This remains a big problem in our town
“If the police say they are towing them, they have no idea what they’re talking about. This remains a big problem in our town,” said Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop, adding meetings were being held with Transport Malta to ensure registration details of cars entering the island are passed on the transport authority to address the problem.
A Sliema resident showed this newspaper photos of two cars parked illegally – the one with Malta plates had received a ticket while the other with foreign plates had none. “This is discrimination,” he said.
“When I called the police station to report the fact that elderly people had to disembark a bus in the middle of the road because a car bearing an Italian number plate was parked on the bus stop, I was told there was nothing the police could do,” one resident said.
This contrasts with what the police had said that owners could be traced through a cross-border exchange of information on road safety across the EU.
The Sunday Times of Malta asked Kenneth de Martino, owner of the Guard and Warden Service, whether wardens would book foreign-registered cars.
“A contravention can only be issued by taking note of the number plate and checking under whose name it’s registered. A foreign plate is not on our system – the same system used by the police and Transport Malta. We have no way of following it up,” Mr de Martino said.
His comments reflect those received from readers reporting how police at local stations replied to their complaints. The problem is not limited to Sliema, as the St Paul’s Bay council has also received a large number.
Mayor Graziella Galea has consistently voiced her concerns on the issue. A Facebook page for the village regularly features complaints by irate residents, with one recently saying he would not pay his road licence if the discrimination continues.