This column first appeared in Malta Today

The decision to bring in the army to control the situation in Swieqi has been met with mixed reactions.

Admittedly, it is not ideal to have soldiers roaming our streets, because it evokes images of martial law which one usually associates with civil unrest, national emergencies or war. The message which deploying the troops is sending is that the police have lost control and are unable to guarantee the safety of the country’s law-abiding citizens. But judging from the daily videos showing what Swieqi residents have to put up with, it is clear that this is precisely where we are at.

The Police Force needs reinforcements and unless it magically recruits hundreds of new officers overnight, there needed to be some form of additional manpower which could be utilised immediately. Rather than using the excuse that “we don’t have enough officers”, the Home Affairs Minister turned to the resources at hand.

The soldiers will be working alongside the Police, strengthening night-time security presence in the locality. The decision was commended by the Deputy Mayor of Swieqi Jordan Galea Pace, who has come out fully in favour of it. In fact, as reported in this paper, “Galea Pace said the Council and residents had been pushing for this step and had now reached it. He said that, as promised, work would continue to make Swieqi a place where residents feel safe and can live in peace inside their homes. He added that he would like neighbouring localities to adopt the same formula so that together they could remove this problem from residential areas once and for all. Residents deserve to feel safe in their neighbourhood and, above all, they deserve to be able to sleep peacefully in their own homes, he added.”

It is therefore puzzling to me that those who are the first to (rightly) criticise lax enforcement are now criticising this decision as well. The objection by the NGO “Repubblika” is that “the Home Affairs Ministry should clarify on what “legal and operational basis” the soldiers have been deployed, what powers they have been authorised to exercise, what rules govern their interactions with private individuals, and what training the soldiers have received to perform public order duties. The NGO also called for clarity on whether the soldiers are armed and if so what rules governs the carrying and use of those weapons, on who the soldiers are accountable to when working with police, on why the police have been unable to provide sufficient personnel for these duties, and on whether this is an exceptional and temporary measure or if it will be expanded to other localities.”

To me, the reason why this drastic measure was taken is pretty obvious: for a long time now, the Police have been stretched much too thin to be able to deal with the myriad of issues for which they are often called to assist. From serious traffic accidents to neighbourly disputes, from petty crime to violent criminal behaviour – they have to deal with it all. Statistically, the more people come here, whether for work or for leisure, the more likelihood there will be that we will see an exponential growth in the need for policing, so that law and order are maintained. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that every single person who visits (or who lives here) is an exemplary citizen who knows how to behave in civilised society….to put it colloquially “kieku tajjeb!” This is another in the long list of reasons why we need to put a lid on population growth and mass tourism.

Meanwhile, the MHRA President also criticised the decision, describing it as an extreme measure and that “it is not the image I would like Malta to be portraying.” He also asked why the situation was allowed to deteriorate to this extent.

Yes, well, just ask those residents, not only in Swieqi, but all the towns which are on the periphery of Paceville. It is they who have been detrimentally affected by groups of young tourists who come here purely to get drunk and stoned, and who have long been clamouring for something to be done. As we know, for years, nothing has ever been done and I do not blame residents for feeling resentful that the Labour government was simply ignoring their plight. But now, with a change of Minister, it seems the climate has changed.

I admit that I was sceptical about Glenn Bedingfield’s appointment to Home Affairs Minister, but he has shown himself to be a man of action and has taken the bull by the horns. I never thought I would see people from PN strongholds such as Sliema, St Julians, San Gwann and Swieqi openly singing his praises, but since he took over, he has taken their concerns very seriously and has actually done something about it. For once, petty partisan feelings are being put to the side, and there is a collective effort to tackle national problems head-on, irrespective of who the constituents are, which is how it should be.

Frankly, on this specific issue, we cannot complain because politicians only pay lip service and nothing is ever done, and then still complain when real action is taken.

Of course, bringing in the army, even if temporarily, does not mean that the problems will go away because we still need to root out the cause of how we got here. Watching the video of an arrogant punk spitting at the feet of a police officer who was giving him a fine, further confirms that we are attracting riffraff. First of all we need to stop promoting Malta as a party island. Cheap flights, cheap accommodation and the party-till-you-drop culture is exactly what has led to this state of affairs.

Judging from the numbers, we do not need that kind of “tourism”. We have shown that we can cater for all types of holiday goers, from those who come on cruise liners, to young families wanting sun and sea, to couples looking for a relaxed holiday perhaps with a concert thrown in, and those who come for the culture. I do not need to name which mass events are attracting which types because we all know which ones they are. If that is going to hurt some entrepreneurs’ pockets well, that’s tough. Air b ’n’ b accommodation in residential areas also need more stringent regulations because people who bought property in a quiet area should not have to wake up to find their neighbourhood has been turned into a “Girls (and Boys) Gone Wild” episode. Since there is no respect being shown, I think the rights of residents should always supersede the rights of someone else getting rich.

The clampdown measures which have come into effect also need to be clearly spelled out as soon as anyone lands on the island. There need to be signs at the airport which outline the fines and consequences of anti-social or criminal behaviour. This has to be followed by proper enforcement such as in the case of the Indian national who damaged a vehicle and was not only made to pay for the damages but is now facing deportation. This is the only real deterrent and has been the outcry by the public ever since this type of wilful vandalism started.

In short, the Maltese public has now had enough and that is why across the board I have seen the decision to bring in soldiers being applauded, with residents even asking for soldiers to be sent to other problematic areas. While sending in soldiers might at face value be seen as a heavy-handed approach, I dread to think what the alternative will be if the anarchy is allowed to continue. If things had remained as they were, we were seriously risking people pushed to the brink and taking matters into their own hands, leading to vigilante justice which personally I would find more dangerous and alarming.