The US State Department is warning American citizens travelling to Malta to be on the lookout while in Paceville, particularly due to “racially motivated” violence.

It also repeated a travel advice recently issued by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office to guard against pick-pocketing on Arriva buses, especially on the Sliema/St Julian’s service.

Focusing in on the island’s entertainment mecca, the State Department warns US travellers “to be careful in the Paceville nightclub area, where excessive drinking and poor crowd control can lead to violence, including some that appears to be racially motivated”.

The issue of lack of security and police patrols in Paceville was recently highlighted in Parliament.

Opposition spokesman Jason Azzopardi claimed hundreds of transfers made within the police after the March election resulted in fewer officers at St Julian’s police station, making it impossible to handle this busy area.

Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia insisted that transfers were made according to the requirements of the force and denied that policing in Paceville was lax.

Excessive drinking and poor crowd control can lead to violence

In its travel advice, the State Department said: “Since May 2013, there has been a high number of pick-pocketing incidents on main bus routes, especially the 13 and 12 from Sliema to Valletta and the routes between St Julian’s and Paceville. Thieves are targeting crowded afternoon buses.”

Police said the situation was being monitored. Sources indicated that highly organised Eastern-European gangs were believed to be behind the thefts.

Arriva has not replied to questions sent by Times of Malta on the matter despite various reminders.