21 February 2007 Rating 19% No Comment  

During a press conference today, Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) Chairperson Dr . Harry Vassallo tackled the issue of law enforcement: "Many residents feel alone and isolated when they turn to authorities for help. There is no one clear agency whom people can turn to when they feel that the law is being disregarded to their detriment. This includes disrespect of building regulations and a total disregard to whole neighbourhoods in the vicinity of building sites; public health issues; and even the total disrespect of peace and quiet in residential areas. AD feels that all interested parties, including residents groups, political parties, local councils, government and NGOs should come together to agree on a reform of local law enforcement. The current situation is confusing. What we need is the setting up of a local police unit within the police force. Each village should have its local police who take care of all law enforcement in that particular village. The local police should be a point reference to which citizens can turn to. It is the police who should then liaise and follow up each and every report or illegality with the concerned authorities such as MEPA and the Health Inspectors. All too often people are sent from one authority to another when they make reports to the police. They are frequently told that the police have no resources to open all police stations or to react quickly and promptly to what are said to be 'irrelevant' and 'petty' issues." Ralph Cassar, AD Candidate for the Attard Local Council said: "It is precisely these small things which might seem irrelevant and unimportant, but which happen repeatedly and with irritating, frustrating regularity which affect people's quality of life. Where are the police when someone is disturbing neighbours with loud music during ungodly hours, working on a building site without the proper equipment which reduces clouds of dust, or more dangerously demolishing a building and damaging other people's property in the process? Where are the police when the irresponsible people are making a nuisance in the middle of the night, vandalizing public property in the process? Local police stations, including the one in Attard are often closed. This is unacceptable. The truth is that it is time to rethink our law enforcement system. There are various models which we can look at, including the 'polizia di quartiere' or 'vigile urbano' in Italy, community policing in the UK or Ireland . The solution is local police, not some private guard company interested in making money out of fines, but local police who get to know the area and its problems well. Their mere presence and hopefully their communication and negotiation skills should be enough to, if not solve, reduce the occurrence of antisocial behaviour." Dr. Harry Vassallo said that in AD's views local law enforcement has been reduced to wardens dishing out traffic fines. "Law enforcement at a local level should mean the presence amongst the community of local police who get to know a community well and are able to mediate and negotiate solutions to local problems. It is a shame that law enforcement is just seen as a source of profit for private companies. The privatizing of law enforcement, something which is supposed to be a prerogative of the state is a real shame. AD calls for the setting up of a local police unit within existing state structures. The private warden system should be phased out. Local councils should be given an overseeing function, together with additional powers to demand enforcement by local police of issues affecting their localities such as trading licenses, building regulations, littering and vandalism. Local police units should be protected from direct interference by the setting up of an independent oversight commission reporting directly to parliament." These are some of the problems that residents face everyday. People need to know who to turn to. Someone competent who will take swift and effective action. It is time to rethink our policing system - a police force which is present on the territory and close to the people is a must, a 'one-stop-shop' whom people can turn to for help.