Many people are plagued with this problem. It continues night and day. It seems the police do not want to know but if it were their neighbour’s dog the problem would soon be sorted. One law for them, another for the rest of us, perhaps?

Suppose you had just bought a property or signed a long-term lease and then you discovered this barking dog nearby, what do you do?

Suppose you were here on holiday, and you could not sleep because of a barking dog? Would you ever come back? Would the hotel owner take any action?

I have two such problems with neighbours within a distance of 70 metres. The Marsascala police ignore my very polite approach in writing.

Four other people have made a police complaint about the other dog.

One of the dog owners actually sent me a legal letter accusing me of harassment.

There is a simple solution: a no bark collar. They work by vibrating or releasing an unpleasant odour when the dog barks. They cost a minimum of €30 and can be bought either online or from your local pet shop.

Let the police impose a fine for non-compliance, say €50. That would be enough to ensure such a no bark collar will be bought. Then we can all get some peace once again.

I implore everyone who reads this letter to send a copy of it to their local police inspector or, better still, pay him/her a visit. If 50 citizens do this in every area, the police will soon solve the problem along the lines I am suggesting.

The police are here to serve us. Something they often seem to forget.