Three incidents in the past week in Marsa involving migrants who broke the law emphasise the need for better enforcement, the mayor of the locality said.

Francis Debono said the incidents of antisocial behaviour, which went viral on social media, were nothing new in a locality that has seen a migrant influx as a result of its open centre.

Marsa mayor Francis Debono

“This country has laws, and they should be obeyed by everyone, Maltese included, which is why we need more enforcement,” Mr Debono said, adding that the police required more resources.

However, the mayor said the State had to understand what drove migrants to break the law disproportionately when compared to the Maltese. Law enforcement had to be accompanied by social outreach, he insisted.

“We have to understand what drives many migrants to binge on alcohol and why some end up sleeping outside. If we do not tackle these difficulties now, we will face an even bigger problem in the future,” Mr Debono said.

In the latest incident, the police had to use force to stop four migrants in a van yesterday after the driver tried to run over two officers when asked to pull over.

With the Labour government committed to closing the Marsa open centre, Mr Debono doubts the migrant population in his locality will vanish as a result. In recent years, he said, many have rented out private accommodation in the locality.

“This is another problem, because to be able to afford the rent, it is not uncommon to have 10 or more migrants crammed in a flat,” he said. While some landlords may be oblivious to this, others indulge in renting out individual rooms in single apartments, which perpetuates social problems, Mr Debono added.

“I was speaking to a migrant recently who was living in a rented out washroom.

“This is definitely not a dignified way to live and something has to be done,” he said.

But the mayor also cautioned against the cheap talk that many engage in on social media. While condemning incidents where migrants broke the law, he cautioned against stories that distorted the facts.

He referred to a photo making the rounds on Facebook over the weekend of a migrant sleeping on a church parvis, which prompted many critical remarks.

“In reality, the young man had earlier joined the festa march with other Maltese youngsters to celebrate and, like them, probably had one drink too many.

It’s not unusual for us to have Maltese festa-goers in his same situation,” Mr Debono said.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com