Swieqi apartment block shut, 12 fined in short-let crackdown

Twelve people received on-the-spot fines totalling approximately €2,000 after police responded to reports of a noisy gathering at an apartment block on Triq Cannataci in Swieqi. They faced penalties for disturbing the peace and good order and for illegal waste disposal. Malta Tourism Authority inspectors, working alongside police, found that eight of the nine apartments were operating in breach of their licence conditions.

The MTA issued an Enforcement Notice ordering immediate closure of the entire block. Tourists staying there were relocated to alternative accommodation. The operator was also found to be in breach of regulatory conditions; the building remains closed pending full compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.

Minister for Home Affairs and Security Glenn Bedingfield announced the action publicly. "We must take a firm stand against those who do not respect public peace. The Police took timely action, and we intend to continue doing so," he said, adding that "the rules apply to everyone" and that respect for the community and the law is "non-negotiable."

Over the same weekend, police issued 17 on-the-spot fines across their enforcement activities. It is not clear from the available information whether the 12 fines from the Triq Cannataci operation are counted within that total or are additional to it. The government had promised on-the-spot fines as part of stricter enforcement measures due to take effect on 1 June.

As of early July, the Independent had reported that no such fines had yet been issued, with residents questioning which ministry held responsibility for enforcement. The weekend's operation marked the first time the power appeared to be in active use. Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat had been pressing for action for weeks, telling the Independent he felt "helpless" to control the situation given the limits of the local council's powers.

After a video emerged showing tourists throwing bottles from short-let rooftops in Swieqi, Muscat wrote to the Prime Minister, stating in that letter that residents had been reporting the same problems "for ten years" and that "enough is enough." He has repeatedly warned that conditions in the locality have escalated sharply over the past year, driven largely by unchecked short-let accommodation.