An uprooted lamppost lies on a bench at the Ta’ Giorni playground where a sign warns visitors they are entering the dangerous area at their own risk – it is the constant target of vandals.
Metres away, the entrance to the football pitch comes with the same disclaimer put up by the St Julian’s local council – it warns about the dangers. And it is easy to see why.
Stepping inside a small building that houses the football ground’s toilets and changing rooms feels like walking into a war-damaged house: the white ceramic toilets and sinks are smashed, windows are shattered and doors look like they have been kicked mercilessly.
The floors are littered with cigarette butts, open condoms and used syringes, a hint of what goes on in the otherwise bare rooms.
The playground and football field are meant to be the recreational areas for the families who live in the Ta’ Giorni housing estates. Residents have had enough.
We feel abandoned
“We feel abandoned… The situation has been going on for about four years. Young people come here and vandalise the area and make noise until about 3am. Something must be done. There has to be more surveillance,” a resident told The Sunday Times of Malta.
She preferred not to be named, fearing that vandals would track her down. The woman said residents were in the process of collecting signatures for a petition they will hand over to the relevant authorities.
Apart from addressing the vandalised and dangerous play areas they will be asking for refurbishment works on the housing estate.
St Julian’s mayor Peter Bonello explained that the local council had no choice but to put up the signs warning people about the dangerous state of the area. The council had refurnished the playground at least twice but it kept being vandalised.
The council was now trying to reach an agreement with the private sector to take over the running and maintenance of the area.
A spokeswoman from the Home Affairs Ministry said the government was planning a series of meetings with residents of Swieqi, St Julian’s, Pembroke and Ta’ Giorni.