Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/421389
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2014 14 TIM DIACONO OWNERS of restaurants and pubs in Triq Elija Zammit, Paceville are angered after the street was closed off for construction works on the Intercontinental Hotel. A crane and a large hole have now materi- alised in the street and the business owners have also reported oil spills, drainage spills and dust entering their buildings. "The street is now a junkyard and the timing is all wrong, with Christmas just around the corner," Emperor of India owner Suresh Tarachand said. "The crux of it is that we weren't even informed that these works were going to take place beforehand. It will harm our business. The works could have been carried out within the hotel or on another side of it where no businesses would have been hit." "I had to pass under a crane to enter my restaurant," Jade Garden owner George Spiteri said. "Not only are these works potentially dangerous but dust from it entered my restaurant. Even with the door closed, the dust entered from un- derneath the door." Spiteri also called for the reloca- tion of the crane, as well as for the street to be cleaned every evening. "I'm not against development but these works will compromise business," a business owner who wished to remain anonymous said. "The crane should be relocated to another location up the road, where no businesses will be af- fected. There are already oil spills in the road. If the situation is so bad now when works haven't even begun, can you imagine what it will be like when they actually start. Be- sides, tourists won't be able to see the restaurants. "We had a right to be consulted about these works beforehand." Transport and Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi met up with stakeholders this week to discuss this growing concern. "According to [Eden Leisure] di- rector Kevin Decesare's technical committee, the crane would not be able to reach the desired heights if it were placed in any other location," said Philip Fenech, president of the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Section of the GRTU Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises. "Also, I don't think the crane is mobile and therefore it cannot be removed every evening. However, the site should definitely be cleaned after every construction session, as per MEPA regulations." The dust issue was also raised during the meeting and Fenech said that a barrier could be set up between the construction site and the restaurants and pubs so as to prevent dust from entering the buildings. Wardens will also be as- signed to the area to ease the flow of traffic. Paceville pubs and restaurants in uproar over hotel works News JAMES DEBONO IF violence against public officers can be taken as an indication of gen- eral unruliness, Qormi, Valletta and Birzebbugia are only surpassed by Malta's two main entertainment cen- tres, St Julians and St Paul's Bay. A total of 697 cases of violence against public officers were reported between 2011 and 2013. 17% of all cases of violence against members of the police force and other public officers were reported in St Julians, which includes Paceville. St Julian's is followed by Malta's other entertainment hub, St Paul's Bay, where 74 cases were reported followed by Qormi, Valletta, Birzeb- bugia, Attard and Floriana. Surprisingly a relatively large number of violence against public of- ficers was reported in Attard, a tran- quil, bourgeois residential area. But this can be explained by the fact that the Ta' Qali football ground is located in Attard. Only nine cases of violence against public officers were reported in Mar- saskala, the southern entertainment centre. Moreover despite its proximity to Paceville, only one case of violence against public officers was reported in Swieqi, which however has seen a steady increase in reports of damage to property, going up from just 21 in 2011 to 62 in 2012 and 107 in 2013. Crime statistics presented in parlia- ment show that a total of 8,374 crimes were reported in St Julians between 2011 and 2013. 6,486 of these cases were related to theft. Apart from the highest incidence of violence against public officers, the lo- cality also boasts the highest number of reports of bodily harm (663), dam- age to property (673), drugs (56), fraud (64) and sexual offences (50). But while one case of human traf- ficking was reported, no cases of pros- titution were reported in St Julians in the past three years. The statistics indicate Marsa as Malta's red light capital. The highest number of reports re- lated to prostitution was reported in Marsa (139), Gzira (75), Ta' Xbiex (59), Msida (3), Poala (2) and St Paul's Bay (1). St Paul's Bay registered the second highest crime rate (3,341) of which 1,765 cases were related to theft. The northern locality also registered the highest number of cases of abandon- ment of children (13) and the only case of a reported abortion. Sliema registered the second high- est crime rate. Of the 3,052 cases reported between 2011 and 2013, 2,251 were related to theft and 333 were related to damage to property. 64 cases of fraud were also reported. 1,528 cases of crime, 899 of which related to theft, were reported in Val- letta. The safest locality is the small local- ity of Fontana, where only 22 offences were reported in three years. When the size of a locality is taken into account, the safest locality is Dingli, where only 124 crimes were reported in three years. St Julian's… capital of crime? Qormi reports most violence against public officers, after St Julians and St Paul's Bay TECHNICAL ATTACHÉ Applications are invited for the position of Technical Attaché in different policy areas falling within the remit of the Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto. The selected candidates will be expected to discharge duties within the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union in Brussels. Applications together with a detailed CV will be received at the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, Tal-Pilar, 31B, Triq Marsamxett, Valletta, VLT 1850 or submitted through the Online Government Recruitment Portal on http://recruitment.gov.mt by not later than noon of Friday 5 December 2014. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 18 November 2014. Application forms may be downloaded from: http://www.pahro.gov.mt/file.aspx?f=127 Violence against public officers St Julian's 120 St Paul's Bay 74 Qormi 34 Valletta 31 Birzebbugia 31 Attard 29 Floriana 24 Hamrun 20 Birkirkara 18 Marsa 17 Zebbug 17