Enforcement of legislation in place to control what goes on in nightclubs needs to be taken more seriously and carried out in a more consistent manner, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
He was commenting on Saturday’s incident in which 74 people were injured when glass bannisters collapsed during a stampede at PlusOne club in Paceville.
“The laws in place are very clear and there for everyone. We are not excluding increasing of fines or, in some cases, withdrawing licences so that owners who break the law are penalised,” Dr Muscat said before a meeting with a group of youths from the Kunsill Nazzjonali Zgħazagħ.
During the meeting at Castille, the Prime Minister was presented with resolutions approved by the National Youth Parliament.
Dr Muscat said that while the government would be working to ensure there is better enforcement of regulations, especially those on admission policies, he insisted the role of parents and that of the education system would also be analysed in depth in the coming days.
“We cannot have people, who are well underage, out and about late at night without question. We need to reflect heavily on society’s standards.”
There were five children under the age of 16 injured during the stampede, two of whom, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old, had to be admitted to the ITU after suffering critical injuries.
Dr Muscat said the education system tended to be geared towards preparing students for examinations and would often fail to address other realities children were exposed to.
A solution for alternative entertainment for these children would also have to be discussed, he said.
“I am aware that the question ‘If not Paceville, then where?’ is on everybody’s mind. We need to make sure that we do not create a situation where these young people seek their own sources of entertainment.”
He insisted this could create even more problems if children resorted to other unregulated practices such as holding parties at abandoned locations.
“In the past we have had a number of near misses, which are discussed for a few days and then forgotten. We can’t make this same mistake again.”