Policing in Paceville has markedly improved over the years, but a number of measures need to be taken to make the situation better, according to local businesses.
“Police are doing their best at what is a very difficult job, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement,” said lawyer Anthony Farrugia, who heads the Group for Action for Security in Paceville.
This perspective was echoed by retailers, establishment owners and unionists who spoke to The Times.
All felt things had improved in recent years – but all had their own gripes and suggestions.
Miscreants would think twice about acting up if they risked being barred from Paceville by the courts, GRTU tourism, hospitality and leisure division president Philip Fenech said.
“People might not behave badly if they knew that doing so would see them temporarily banned from the area,” he said.
Last year, an investigation by The Times had revealed that St Julian’s police officers faced a caseload almost three times that of their Birkirkara colleagues.
But assistant police commissioner Raymond Zammit told Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee this week that most criminal reports concerned minor thefts and that the 25 police officers assigned to Paceville – plainclothes officers and Special Assignment Group units excepted – were sufficient.
Mr Fenech agreed. “There is usually enough of a police presence, although there seems to be less uniforms than usual whenever there’s a big event happening elsewhere.”
Paceville Commercial Establishment Association president Mark Grima thought otherwise. “We need more police, although it’s encouraging that Parliament is listening to everyone’s views,” he said.
While insisting that existing noise level legislation needed a “complete overhaul”, Mr Grima suggested installing CCTV cameras in Paceville’s residential streets.
“That’s where a lot of petty crime happens, and if CCTV cameras are monitored in real-time, culprits can be caught red-handed,” he said.
One Paceville bar manager, who asked to remain anonymous, said many problems could be avoided if police adjusted their shifts.
“Police change shifts at 5am when plenty of people, usually drunk, are still roaming the streets. The shift change means police have less control over the situation at that time.”
Although he felt police were sometimes more interested in smoking patrons or underage drinkers than violent criminals, he said things had “improved massively” over the past decade.
Dr Farrugia urged people to look beyond the numbers. “Police need to be properly equipped and trained to work in crowded areas such as Paceville, and they’re not quite there yet.”
He echoed Mr Grima’s calls for greater use of CCTV and suggested introducing Segway-driving officers similar to those deployed in Valletta.
“What worries me is that police seem to be satisfied with the way things are at the moment. But most policing seems to be of the reactive kind, intervening when something goes wrong.
“There needs to be a shift to more proactive, preventive policing. That would not only make Paceville safer for everyone – it would also lessen the pressure police there currently face.”