‘Where Are The Police?’ PN MP Asks After Man Gets Violently Beaten In Paceville
Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg has lambasted both the police and the government following a savage beating a man received at the hands of security personnel in Paceville.
“The responsibility for maintaining order in Paceville lies with the police, not the bouncers. The bouncers’ job is inside the door, while the police’s job is outside the door,” Buttigieg wrote on Facebook.
Distressing footage sent exclusively to Lovin Malta shows a man being brutally beaten by five bouncers who used a baton to hit him and their feet to stomp on him, including on his face as he lay still on the floor.
This sparked a widespread reaction across the nation with several commenters angered at the incident which has happened more than once in the party district.
“There are those who take offense when I say that Paceville has become the Wild West of Malta and that the law in Paceville is optional,” the former Mayor of St Julian’s said.
“Where are the police while this man is being beaten? When will the private bouncer companies (many of whom are ex-soldiers) enforce more? The responsibility for maintaining order in Paceville lies with the police, not the bouncers.”
“The bouncers’ job is inside the door, while the police’s job is outside the door! Once again, I insist that the police must be proactive, not reactive.”
“How can parents, whose young children are there, rest assured that their children won’t end up in such situations? When will the special squad that Commissioner Gafa’ and Minister Camilleri talked so much about be in action?”
Here, Buttigieg was referring to Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri’s statement in May 2022 that discussions on setting up a special squad focused on security in Paceville were underway.
This was prompted by a Parliamentary Question posed by PN MP Karol Aquilina on the subject, who asked for a definitive date as to when this squad will be set up – no such date was given.
This incident happened on New Year’s Eve just after 12.00am, a witness told Lovin Malta who claimed that the man was not fighting back.
The events leading up to the violent incident are currently unknown, as is the club that the bouncers work for.
Police are investigating the incident.
Do you think that Paceville should have a specialised squad of police officers?
READ NEXT: Overcoming Sepsis Tragedy: Maltese Family Aims For €200,000 For New Beginnings
