The spot where Monday’s fight took place in Paceville. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Paceville urgently needs a police-operated security camera system to monitor hotspots in the entertainment hub, according to St Julian’s mayor Peter Bonello.

The tourist hotpot is monitored by security cameras operated by a local warden company but their role is mainly related to traffic management, even though footage is passed on to the police when necessary.

Mr Bonello said there should be a system controlled and monitored by policemen to ensure immediate intervention.

Talks in that direction had started in the past but nothing ever materialised. When contacted, a National Security Ministry spokeswoman said the possibility would be studied.

Mr Bonello believed the hamlet, which forms part of the St Julian’s area, also required better police surveillance, echoing the calls made by the father of an 18-year-old man whose neck was slit in Paceville in the early hours of Monday.

The teenager, who was with two friends, survived the attack and the police are now analysing CCTV footage of the incident.

Anthony Farrugia, a lawyer who had set up a pressure group called Group Acting for a Safe Paceville (GASP), agreed that security cameras helped in the prosecution of criminals.

However, he stressed, the priority should be the prevention of crime, which was why there had to be political commitment towards having stronger “visible” police presence.

“Police have to be there as a deterrent, which is why they cannot be just any police officers. We need officers who are experienced, command respect and can diffuse a situation,” he said.

We need officers who are experienced, command respect and can diffuse a situation

It did not make sense to have officers located in fixed points only to be called in when something happened.

“We need a regular police beat that is visible,” he said, adding that establishments should be made to have CCTV cameras inside. “They should make it a part of the prerequisite for obtaining a licence to operate in Paceville.”

The ministry spokeswoman said there were between 15 and 20 officers in Paceville at any one time, apart from the patrols by the rapid intervention unit, the drug squad and plain clothes policemen.

Dr Farrugia’s views were shared by senior Police Inspector Pierre Micallef-Grimaud who, in a comment posted on Facebook, said security officers at establishments should be constantly monitoring the situation inside the premises.

Mr Micallef-Grimaud, who is based in Valletta but lives in St Julian’s, said he noticed an increase in “tension and arguments” in Paceville, some of which resulting from the presence of foreigners.

Kleaven Cassar, the father of the teenager attacked on Monday, also spoke about the increase in foreigners and called for security and law enforcement to be stepped up.

His son and two friends were walking down Triq San Ġorġ when, reportedly, a group of about seven Arabs, aged between 20 and 25, picked on them, assuming they were laughing at them.

A fight ensued and Mr Cassar’s son’s arm was slit open and his throat slashed, while his friend also suffered injuries. They were all sent home after being treated in hospital.

Police confirmed that “a number of foreigners were reportedly involved in the incident”.