Police are still facing an uphill struggle to crack down on criminality in Paceville especially drug trafficking, despite repeated pledges that resources at the St Julian’s police station would be beefed up, Times of Malta has learnt.
“Another summer has gone by and very little has been done in spite of repeated pledges – like the opening of a mobile police station. Unfortunately, morale is at an all-time low and we have given up hope that someday the situation will improve,” police sources told this newspaper on condition of anonymity.
“Parts of Paceville which are very well known to the police have become a hotbed for drug cartels, especially on weekends between 3am and 9am. Moreover there has been an increase in the number of persons carrying firearms and knives,” they added.
The police sources vented their frustration that resources were so stretched that officers only intervened as a last resort – for fear of being on the receiving end of a harsh beating.
This was conveying the message that authorities are turning a blind eye to certain abuses, they said.
“It seems as if the force is only focusing on petty crimes like illegal smoking in public places while ignoring the bigger picture. We need a holistic strategy for Paceville, rather than sporadic efforts.”
We have given up hope that someday the situation will improve
Other complaints received by this newspaper dealt with the lack of vehicles to patrol the area, to the point that in some cases officers had to walk all the way to St George’s Bay in the scorching sun to investigate a report.
A Home Affairs Ministry spokeswoman told this newspaper that officers stationed in the various police stations were bound to enforce the law whatever the crime, be it petty or otherwise.
“Drug trafficking sometimes requires a more thorough and covert investigation to identify the real supplier and recent success hauls confirm this,” she said.
Commenting on the officers’ low morale, the spokeswoman blamed the lack of initiatives in past years which left certain issues unaddressed. An outline strategy for restructuring the force has already been made public and once in place was expected to address this situation, she said.
Though plans for a mobile station seem to have been shelved, last June about 40 officers were deployed in the Sliema and St Julian’s area as part of the newly set up unit called the tourism police. Although its introduction was welcomed, sources said they were only doing foot patrols between Spinola Bay and Manoel Island, thus having no effect at all on law and order in Paceville.
The spokeswoman, however, insisted that a number of new constables would soon be deployed at the St Julian’s station.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the number of Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU) officers patrolling the area had been increased, while the presence of drug squad officers had also been beefed up.
However, sources said that coordination with the RIU was a problem as there seemed to be no clear guidelines and priorities to avoid overlapping of duties.
As for transport, the ministry acknowledged that although the number of vehicles for patrol had been increased, there was room for improvement.