A new association of Paceville bar and commercial property owners is demanding a zero-tolerance policy from police towards crime in night-time entertainment areas.

Police need to put their foot down to send a message that order will be maintained

Calling for on-the-spot fines for “minor offences” such as swearing and littering, the group said anyone causing a public disturbance should be taken into police custody, “and this does not necessarily mean fighting”.

“Police need to put their foot down, which will in principle send a message that order will be maintained and that Paceville would be ‘cleaned up’,” the association’s president Mark Grima wrote in a statement to The Sunday Times.

The statement also called for tougher penalties for those who attack police officers, for police to walk around Paceville in groups of four at all times, and for mobile police cells to be introduced. The group, called the Paceville Commercial Establishments Association (PCEA), is awaiting final approval from the registrar of Industrial Employment Relations.

Among its other members is well-known bar and restaurant owner Hugo Chetcuti, who is vice-president.

It said its main objective is to work in conjunction with the government, police and local residents for a better and cleaner Paceville while protecting the livelihood of its members.

Mr Grima hopes all commercial property owners in Paceville will join the association to present a united voice in public discussions.

On the issue of ‘gentlemen’s clubs’, which the Social Affairs committee recommended for tighter regulation, PCEA said it welcomed legalisation but felt that intense and detailed discussions should be carried out with the association beforehand.

It also complained that only Paceville was mentioned during public discussions regarding problems associated with the night-time leisure industry.

Pointing the finger at open air clubs in Rabat and Ta’ Qali, it asked why the owners of these clubs were never taken to court for violating noise regulations whereas as Paceville proprietors were fined “week in week out”.