Crime is on the rise in Paceville. The news and stories we have heard lately have confirmed not only St. Julian’s Local Council’s concerns about crime in the locality but also the parents’. 

In an interview with Voice of the Workers, Albert Buttigieg, the Deputy Mayor of St Julians, explained the problems and issues that the St Julians Local Council is facing, among them the ever rising crime rate in the locality. 

“Parents worry when their children tell them they want to go to Paceville”, said the Deputy Mayor of St Julians. 

He admitted that Paceville has changed and is slowly becoming more of a red light district than a place of entertainment. He explained that the drug problem is real and is not something we can ignore or deny. Albert Buttigieg said that increased police presence is not sufficient, saying “it could be that the law is not being enforced as it should.” 

 

“Paceville needs a Master Plan that does not favour the few over the many.”

 

“Yes, I think that crime rates have increased, mainly because crime has increased all over the country – Paceville is no exception”, said Albert Buttigieg, adding that “there is crime that is not reported”. He said that drunk people, people lying sprawled on the ground or sleeping on the pavement or in residents’ porches are a common sight in Paceville at the weekend. These actions, although not illegal, are unacceptable. 

In Paceville there are a number of issues that need to be addressed immediately. The Local Council of St Julians has been bringing these issues to the attention of the present Government and the previous administration for years, but so far it has not been heard and the issues have not been given the attention they require. 

The fact that commercial activity in Paceville has exploded and yet the locality still lacks a Police Station is an issue that should be given priority. The St Julians Local Council appreciates the considerable work done by the police stationed at the St Julians’ Police Station. “But they are overloaded dealing with Balluta, Spinola and Paceville at the weekend … Paceville should have its own specific Police Station that can deal with the needs of the locality”, said Albert Buttigieg. 

The Deputy Mayor of St Julians expressed solidarity with the police that do the rounds at Paceville at the weekend and said that they should have a place where they could rest and that could serve as a point of reference for people who need help or who need to make use of a service. “Sometimes the point of reference is in bars and this leads to overfamiliarity with the bar owners”, said Albert Buttigieg, who even dared to say that there may have been occasions where the line of familiarity between a policeman / policewoman in uniform and the owner of a bar has been crossed. 

The Deputy Mayor of St Julians explained that Paceville also needs a public lavatory and a clinic. He explained that recently, during the activities linked to St Patrick’s Day, 30 mobile toilets were not sufficient to cater for the needs of 30,000 people. 

Apart from this, it is not the first time that there were incidents or fights fuelled by alcohol or someone under the influence of illegal substances who required assistance. A clinic is crucial to address such situations. “We have seen ambulances in the area but this is not sufficient; there needs to be a permanent structure with a paramedic team ready to give First Aid.” 

Albert Buttigieg said that over and above all Paceville needs a Master Plan that does not favour the few over the many. The Master Plan needs to include all those who are involved in the locality, that is, the commercial community, the residents, the Local Council and Central Government. These entities need to meet and discuss the exigencies and needs of Paceville. “We need to take the bull by the horn and develop a holistic plan that is in everybody’s interest”, said the Deputy Mayor of St Julians. He said that the word on the street is that ‘Paceville is one construction site’. “Pender Gardens have been in construction for nine years, now there will be Mercury House, that is going up instead of Villa Rosa and these will take some time to complete.” 

He said that law enforcement in Paceville should be taken seriously. “It is not right that the few residents that remain in the locality become slaves or prisoners of the people who frequent the zone”, the Deputy Mayor continued to say. Albert Buttigieg hailed and referred to the residents, particularly of Ross Street, who every weekend have to leave their homes and go stay with their children because they cannot sleep with the loud and vibrant music being played until the early hours of the morning or else end up locked within their homes as they would not be able to leave because of the numbers of people outside their door and cars parked on pavements. 

“We need to look out for the residents who are not always afforded the respect and dignity they deserve”, said Albert Buttigieg. 

 

“We need to look out for the residents who are not always afforded respect”  

 

The Local Council of St Julians has not really been consulted about Paceville. At the moment there are discussions about creating a committee which would operate over and above the Council, leading to a situation of too many captains. The Local Council of St Julians has always insisted that it is a council elected by the people according to the Local Council Act and, as such, it should be the entity that issues and approves certain proposals or regulations. 

The Deputy Mayor of St Julians said that the Government helps in a number of areas including street cleansing and rubbish collection but this is not sufficient. He said that in light of the fact that St Julians is the biggest locality with the largest number of hotels, the funds gathered from the bed tax should be invested in the zones of St Julians and Paceville. 

If not totally invested, at least the Local Council should be given a percentage of the funds. “It is not right that we are given the bone and not the meat on it”, said the Deputy Mayor. Albert Buttigieg said that we also need to invest in the tourist environment because the tourists do not stay within the hotels but you can hear them complain about the state of the pavements, the noise and the dust. 

“It is in our interest that we be consulted and I think that the Local Council of St Julians can do more if the Government gave it the space and the resources … this is not to say that we do not have any but I do not think that they are sufficient”, concluded Albert Buttigieg.