24/7 police patrols are needed in areas prone to crime like Sliema, St Julian’s, Swieqi and others, PN MP Graham Bencini has urged following the attack of a morning jogger along the Qui-Si-Sana promenade.

Earlier today, a man was a victim of an unprovoked attack by two men, one of whom was carrying a large knife at the time of the assault.

“This is very disturbing. What have we come to? I was born and bred in Sliema. These stories were unheard of when we spent most of our youth running around on the Sliema Promenade,” Bencini said referencing the murder of Paulina Dembska and the recent attack on Sliema Mayor John Pillow.

“This is excluding the public disturbances the Sliema, St. Julians and Swieqi residents are subject to by intolerable noise in the early hours of the morning.”

“Clearly we need to beef up our police resources and patrols… to start with, we need to immediately have 24/7 Police Patrols in these areas.”

Bencini was clear that police were already doing the best they can with their very limited resources. However, he insisted that public safety must be our primary concern.

“Enough words. We need immediate action,” he said.