Swieqi is set to get 22 new CCTV cameras after an agreement was signed between the local council and the Tourism Ministry.

Mayor Noel Muscat said the agreement would see cameras set up in the locality across eight strategic points in the residential area. The cameras will be installed along Triq Swieqi, Triq il-Qasam, and Triq is-Sidra.

The local council, he said, would be in charge of the maintenance and recordings from the equipment, and the MTA would finance their initial installation.

"The aim is to combat vandalism and similar acts and they must not be used to issue parking tickets or waste disposal irregularities,” he said. 

The council would also install a server that could accommodate a further 19 cameras.

"If these cameras prove successful, we will be in a position to add more to the locality's network," Mr Muscat said.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said the installation of cameras was being seen as a pilot project, with other localities, such as St Paul’s Bay, possibly soon getting cameras of their own.

Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela had told Parliament last month that after lengthy discussions, the government had agreed that cameras across the locality of Swieqi would help catch vandals and criminals.

This morning, Mr Muscat said the locality was being plagued, not only by vandals, but now also by burglars and even murders.