The Home Affairs Minister said he will be taking on Maltese contractors who take advantage of migrants by offering them badly-paid, illegal and unstable work.

A separate unit that patrols the area where these migrants often get picked up for work will form part of the effort to keep law and order in check, Michael Farrugia said on Friday.

Flanked by Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis and members of the Marsa local council, Dr Farrugia said some “drastic measures” were needed to minimise the concerns of Marsa residents, but that certain “issues” remained.

He downplayed concerns that the crime rate in the area shot up because of migrants residing at the Marsa open centre, saying that the majority of crimes reported in the area - particularly high-profile crimes - came from Maltese nationals.

Minister Michael Farrugia at Marsa.

Only 40 people are currently living at the Marsa open centre, he said, insisting that the new police force will take on individuals regardless their nationality.

The Home Affairs Minister was addressing Marsa residents following up on a meeting on Wednesday between Marsa councillors and members of the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee and Family Affairs Committee, during which concerns were raised that many migrants tend to congregate to drink at all hours of the day.

The authorities will be clamping down on daytime drinking by introducing a law that declares alcohol consumption in public spaces as an offence. The law was introduced in Gżira a few months ago with great success, Dr Farrugia noted.

Army forces will also be helping police officers in surveillance of “criminal hotspots” such as Msida, Birżebbuġa and Sliema, he said.

“This is not a question of colour... “The government plans to give the utmost importance to law and order as from next year,” Dr Farrugia insisted.

But the question of properly integrating Marsa residents remained, he said, announcing that the Home Affairs ministry has allocated €2 million in EU funds on an integration project which is set to educate migrants on Maltese laws.

The Marsa police station will also remain open round the clock.

Read: MPs hear how migrants live in squalid, crowded premises, or tents on roofs