29 fined for indecent dress but police not 'morality' squad, minister says
Byron Camilleri defends police priorities as residents raise concerns over swimwear on the streets
A total of 29 people have been fined this year for walking around in swimwear or otherwise being "indecently dressed" in public, according to Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri.
But while confirming the enforcement, Camilleri emphasised that the police should not be turned into the “morality police.”
“The police force should focus more on core police duties,” he said in parliament, responding to a question by PN MP Graziella Galea. “I do not believe the Police Force should serve as a morality police.”
Galea, a former mayor of St Paul’s Bay, had asked whether authorities were taking action against individuals wearing only swimwear on the streets and how laws regarding public decency were being enforced.
Camilleri later clarified in response to a separate question that 29 people had been fined for "indecent dress" since January 2024.
Under Malta’s Criminal Code, a person breaches public order if “in the harbours, on the seashore or in any other public place, exposes himself naked or is indecently dressed.”
The issue gained traction last summer when Sliema resident David Pace O’Shea launched a campaign to discourage people from wearing swimwear away from the beach, putting up signs around the town with the message: “No swimwear on our streets.”
The ongoing tension between beachgoers and residents continues to spark debate every summer, especially in seaside towns like Sliema and St Paul’s Bay, where locals often voice frustration over tourists shopping or dining in minimal clothing.