I attended a very interesting and fruitful meeting on August 31 called by the Sliema local council, during which a number of police officials explained what steps they are taking to improve security against burglaries in Sliema and what measures households should take to reduce the chances of burglary.

The meeting was very well attended, and it served to dispel some of the mistrust that many Sliema residents had regarding the police and the local council.

An interesting point that emerged during the meeting was that one reason why enforcement is weak in Sliema is that there are a multitude of agencies, each one authorised to enforce the law in one area but incapable of enforcing the law in another area.

On more than one occasion the police representatives stated that certain abuses and other problems mentioned by members of the audience were not in their remit.

For example, from what I gathered during the meeting, the police cannot enforce construction regulations and cannot therefore control construction abuse, because there is a special agency in charge of this. Last year I contacted this agency and was informed they have a few enforcement officers to oversee many hundreds of construction sites.

So Sliema residents are left with a police force with a limited remit regarding construction abuse and a specialised agency, with a remit to check construction abuse, but unable to fully carry out its remit.

Now abuse abounds in Sliema. There are vendors that just set up shop on the pavement, and these are increasing by the day.

There are harbour cruise ship and open-top bus business people who just put up a stand on the pavement accompanied by A-shaped publicity boards, seemingly without a permit.

There are building contractors who disturb whole neighbourhoods with dust, debris, noise and unsightly hoardings.

There are people who take out their rubbish bags at any time during the day, disregarding the collection timetable.

With several agencies enforcing the law, it seems we are left with very little enforcement – hence the reason why the abuses mentioned above often remain unchecked.

In Sliema there are various other problems leading to irritating and dangerous situations that should be addressed speedily by public agencies but which remain unattended for a very long time, if at all. These include broken plastic manholes and drainage channel covers, broken tiling on pavements, loose stones slabs or bricks on pavements, noisy metal manhole covers that do not fit well and which create a din when cars pass over them (very audible at nighttime), and unsightly electri­city and telephone cables/wires hanging haphazardly overhead, and many others.

I dread to think about the mess that will be generated with the construction of the two tower blocks

These problems are exacerbated by the irresponsible behaviour of some individuals, including those who park haphazardly, intensifying traffic problems in Sliema, those who throw cigarette stubs on the ground, those who relieve themselves in street corners (this often happens at Tigné Point at the bottom of the stairs leading to the bridge – generally it is the rain that cleans up the mess), those who buy take-away drinks and food from the fast-food stores and leave the empties on the pavements or by the seaside, those who place dead pot-plants on the pavements , and those who do not clean up their dog’s waste.

These problems can be addressed through educational campaigns, but better visibility of the police, through frequent patrols in the locality, can help also.

One understands that local councillors cannot attend to all these problems personally themselves, given that Sliema is a very large locality with many zones.

I am told the local council employs a contract manager who patrols Sliema and also two workers for small works.

But obviously, for such a large locality, this is not enough, and is evidenced by the fact that Sliema has become such a shabby locality. Surely the council can employ a few additional people to monitor the streets of Sliema on an ongoing basis, and to carry out repair and cleaning work in the streets. The task of overseeing the well-being of resi­dents in the locality can be rendered more effective if there are people who volunteer to report abuse or other problems in their area of residence. Sliema council could consider calling for and appointing volunteers, say about 20 people, each of whom would be entrusted to report abuse and other  problems to the council or directly to the police, so that these problems can be addressed in good time.

Given that some agencies entrusted with enforcement or with proper administration and maintenance of public utilities lack the will or the manpower to fulfil their remit, as is obviously the case regarding the construction regulations, it would be a good idea if the council periodically publishes a list of the representations and communication it conducts with such agencies, so that Sliema residents would be informed what the council is doing to address the problems reported to it, and the response (or lack of it) of the agencies concerned.

Such abuses and problems exist in all localities in Malta, and I am singling out Sliema because I live there. It is a pity the economic growth registered during the current and previous government administration has not been translated into a serious attempt to improve the quality of life in Malta, by strengthening enforcement of the regulations. On the contrary, we are witnessing an increase in unchecked abuse and a deterioration in our quality of life on many fronts.

Sliema remains one of the most beautiful localities in Malta and Gozo, but the authori­ties are not doing much to keep it so, mostly as a result of weak enforcement of the regulations, particularly those relating to construction.

I dread to think about the mess that will be generated with the construction of the two tower blocks.

Lino Briguglio is the director of the Islands and Small States Institute at the University of Malta.