The police arrested two men last night on suspicion of vandalising cars in Swieqi.
The pair, believed to be North African, were caught in a brief chase after acting suspiciously near parked vehicles.
Police had earlier said that foot patrols of Swieqi would start at the weekend after the tyres of more than 30 cars were slashed in a month. Police would be on the streets until the early hours, a spokesman said.
Police cars and members of the rapid intervention unit would also be on the lookout.
The move follows a series of com-plaints by residents, many of who feel not enough is being done to stop the “van-dalism epidemic”.
“My car has had its tyres slashed for the second time in less than a month. This is getting ridiculous. Something has to be done otherwise it will just keep getting worse,” said resident Eric Tabone.
Triq Il-Ħemel and Swieqi Road were lined with tow trucks earlier this week, picking up six cars with slashed tyres.
The new police presence may not be the only anti-crime measure to be introduced to the locality. A source yesterday revealed Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia’s intention to tap into EU funds to finance the introduction of a centralised CCTV system.
The cameras would be spread across the Swieqi-Ibraġ area and monitored from a new Swieqi police station which is expected to be operational by the end of the month.
The unknown vandals have already been caught on CCTV footage, recorded outside a number of residences where the owners’ cars were targeted.
The videos, uploaded to timesofmalta.com, showed three hooded men stabbing tyres with a penknife while pretending to tie their shoelaces. The grainy clips went viral and earlier this week prompted calls for the setting up of a neighbourhood watch.
Commenting on a Facebook group set up to monitor the ‘Swieqi Tyre Slashers’, resident Matthew Micallef said: “We need armed vigilantes to teach these guys a lesson.”
Mayor Noel Muscat said he understood the residents’ frustration but could not condone any violence. The public anger is understandable. This is getting out of hand. We have had a problem with vandalism in the past but never anything like this,” he said.
The council will be discussing the possibility of setting up a neighbourhood watch in the coming days. Asked whether the police would work in tandem with residents, the spokesman said they would wait for the results of the police patrols.