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4 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 4 SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWS Gozo diving sites need CCTV after suspected serial thief arrested, tourism association says THE Gozo Tourism Asso- ciation (GTA) is calling for CCTV cameras to be installed at key diving sites around the island following the arrest of a man suspected of repeatedly stealing from divers' vehicles. The GTA said stronger sur- veillance was needed to deter criminal activity and safeguard both tourists and local divers using Gozo's popular coastal dive sites. The call comes after a group of divers helped apprehend a suspected thief at Cathedral Cave in Wied il-Għasri on Sunday, 30 August. The association said, what was expected to be a rou- tine Sunday dive "turned into the arrest of a man allegedly caught stealing from the di- vers' vehicles." The Gozo Police responded promptly and subsequently arrested the suspect, who the GTA said is believed to have targeted divers' vehicles at var- ious coastal locations in Gozo on a number of occasions. The association praised the divers for their vigilance and civic-minded intervention, saying their actions helped prevent further losses to visi- tors and local divers. It said the incident highlight- ed the "strong sense of com- munity" within Gozo's diving sector, while once again stress- ing the need for better security infrastructure at dive sites. According to the GTA, CCTV systems at strategic lo- cations would act as an effec- tive deterrent against theft and other criminal activity, while helping authorities respond to incidents and protect people using the sites. The GTA said Gozo has an international reputation as one of the Mediterranean's leading diving destinations. It arguing that improved securi- ty would reinforce the island's image as a safe and welcoming destination for diving enthusi- asts. CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The power then went off again at around 2pm, returning at ap- proximately 6.30pm. The prolonged outage left the household struggling to cope with the heat, particularly with a dog and two cats at home. They resorted to candles and torches, wet towels and cold showers to try to keep cool. Al- though they still had running water, the electricity cut also meant losing internet access and eventually being unable to keep mobile phones charged. The household barely slept during the night. By Saturday afternoon, they decided to leave home with their dog and spent several hours at their favourite brewery bar at Lord Chambray in Xewki- ja, where they could escape the heat, use air conditioning and recharge their phones. The venue was particularly busy, as other people sought re- lief from the heat and the ongo- ing electricity disruption. They eventually returned home without knowing when the pow- er would come back on. When it finally did, it came as a major relief. The experience was not isolat- ed. Other residents across Gozo reported lengthy outages, with one Fontana resident saying their area had already endured a four-hour outage before be- ing hit by another interruption which lasted 13 hours. In Victoria, another resident said electricity had been unavail- able for around 26 hours, raising particular concern for elderly and sick people who were unable to use fans or air conditioning during the heat. Residents also complained of spoiled food, disruption to busi- nesses and the difficulty of going about everyday life without elec- tricity for prolonged periods. One resident took to Face- book demanding answers from Enemalta over why it had taken hours to locate faults affecting two of Gozo's three 33kV elec- tricity cables, where generators had been deployed and whether affected residents and businesses would be compensated. Repeated outages The latest disruption has al- so revived concerns about the island's wider electricity infra- structure. The Xagħra resident said their area had already experienced three separate power cuts of around three hours earlier this summer, which they understood were caused by local system fail- ures. Those problems were appar- ently addressed through the re- placement of overhead cables. But residents are questioning whether the network is equipped to cope with continued develop- ment, particularly in areas see- ing a rapid increase in apartment construction. The concern is that newly built properties will place additional demand on an already heavily used electricity network once they are occupied. Two cable faults left Gozo heavily dependent on one feeder The outage was linked to faults affecting two of Gozo's three 33kV high-voltage electricity feeders. One fault was located in Xewk- ija during the early hours of Saturday, while the second was eventually located in Comino. With two of the three feeders unavailable, the remaining feed- er could not provide enough ca- pacity to restore electricity nor- mally across the island. Enemalta teams worked to re- pair the faults and restore supply progressively. The Comino repair presented additional logistical difficulties, with excavation equipment hav- ing to be transported to the is- land by barge so engineers could access the underground cable. Enemalta subsequently con- firmed that all three high-volt- age cables supplying Gozo from Malta were back in operation following the completion of the Comino repairs. The electricity supply was then progressively restored across af- fected areas. But for residents who spent the weekend without reliable power, the episode has raised questions extending beyond the immediate technical faults. They are calling for clearer an- swers on the resilience of Gozo's electricity network, the availa- bility of backup generation and whether the island's infrastruc- ture is capable of keeping pace with its growing population and development. Gozo residents says they barely slept during the night due to power cuts The GTA said stronger surveillance was needed to deter criminal activity and safeguard both tourists and local divers using Gozo's popular coastal dive sites One resident said they were without power for 26 hours