The fines issued to nightclubs which admit patrons younger than 17 need to be increased “substantially”, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said yesterday.

Speaking on TimesTalk, Mr Abela said the penalties for such establishments were being reviewed and would be increased in the coming weeks.

TimesTalk yesterday discussed the accident in Paceville last week which saw some 74 youths, among them many minors, injured when a nightclub’s glass railing collapsed.

The fine for serving youths under the legal admission age, 17, is €233. Sources said the government was considering four-digit fines.

Mr Abela, however, said the government would first engage in a “brief” consultation period.

The reality is anyone under the age of 17 simply shouldn’t be there

Opposition deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami, meanwhile, insisted the complement of police officers needed to be increased in the locality to ensure reviewed penalties were actually enforced.

Dr Fenech Adami said video footage of the accident clearly showed officers on the scene, however it was only after the railing collapsed, and many youths were hurt that they endeavoured to clear out the nightclub.

Mr Abela said the government had tripled the police complement in Paceville since taking office.

“There were 20 officers in Paceville on the night of the incident, when before there was a time when there would only be three,” Mr Abela said.

He was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of a dedicated police station being set up in the entertainment hub.

Weighing in on the matter, Mark Grima, a nightclub owner and the president of the Paceville Commercial Establishment Association, said he still expected increased police presence.

The main issue of concern, he said, was the prevalence of underage youths in Paceville.

“The reality is anyone under the age of 17 simply shouldn’t be there and it’s time to tackle this,” he said.