Sliema council says enforcement failing as disorder video

A video circulating on social media shows a young man collapsing on a busy Sliema road before companions drag him across the carriageway and lift him into a car. The footage, published by the Facebook page Malta Gone Wild, begins with police in conversation with a group of young people; moments later, several of them haul their companion across moving traffic.

A second person is also seen weaving between vehicles towards a central reservation before a police officer steps in, warns them of the danger and points them to nearby traffic lights. Sliema's local council has warned that current enforcement measures are "no longer sufficient" and called for a coordinated response involving all relevant authorities. The video is the latest in a pattern the Sliema Residents Association says stretches back more than three years.

Over that time the association has documented tourists and partygoers leaving boats inadequately clothed, shops breaking rules by vending alcohol past 9pm, litter accumulation, property damage and loud music in outdoor venues continuing into early morning hours across the Qui-Si-Sana to Balluta waterfront. Specific incidents flagged by the association include a dangerous situation at Sliema Strand involving a noticeably inebriated youth transported across four traffic lanes upon disembarking from a party boat.

In mid-July, violence erupted along the seafront as men engaged in mutual assault spanning the roadway. Bottles and toilet paper hurled from upper-storey windows have damaged parked cars and four vehicles were vandalised on Triq Manwel Dimech, a street minutes from the local police station. Authorities have responded by doubling the minimum on-the-spot fine for anti-social behaviour to €50 and augmenting police and Armed Forces presence in the Sliema area.

Nearly 500 fines were issued across hotspot areas including Sliema over a recent four-week period. Residents, local businesses and community groups argue those measures have not solved the problem. The Sliema Residents Association, the Sliema local council and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association all say the fines are too low to deter behaviour and that disorder resumes almost immediately once police withdraw.

Malta Gone Wild, which has been sharing accounts from residents along the Sliema–Valletta ferry route, says people living in the area are increasingly unable to sleep due to nightly noise, with police called out repeatedly. The page warned that scenes like those in the video risk becoming normalised, accepted as an everyday reality that residents are simply expected to live with.

"Tourism is important, but so is the quality of life of the people who live in the area," it stated, urging intervention before law enforcement capacity deteriorates further.