Over 420 warden tickets issued daily

Wardens seem to be acting as ruthlessly with tourists as with the locals, possibly even more so, figures indicate. For tickets have been dished out with abandon, especially in towns which draw the tourists.

In Sliema and Valletta, for instance, no fewer than 36,000 tickets have been handed out since the beginning of 2002. And Mdina may be one of the smallest localities in Malta but over 1,000 tickets were issued, mostly for traffic offences - when driving into Mdina is forbidden to non-residents.

Then again, if you are living in Gozo, you have a good chance of being spared - provided you avoid Ghajnsielem.

Detailed statistics obtained by The Times show that nearly 150,000 tickets were issued by wardens in 2002 - or over 420 every day - and another 65,000 between January and May this year - the vast majority of which were for traffic-related offences.

As expected, the wardens made their presence felt at traffic chocked localities such as Sliema, St Julian's and Hamrun.

St Paul's Bay also dished out its fair share of tickets, which is no surprise, considering that wardens also monitor the tourist mecca of Bugibba.

Tourists, and their frequent ignorance of local road rules, are probably a magnet for wardens.

An interesting statistic is that 73 drivers were fined for "not driving on the left-hand side of the road" in Mdina - which is no mean feat considering that cars can barely pass through most of Mdina's narrow, winding streets.

Localities like Attard, Balzan and Cospicua might be bigger and more populated than the former capital but fewer than 1,000 tickets were issued in each locality last year, though Balzan seems to be making up for that.

Quite striking is the fact that no fewer than 865 tickets were issued in Xewkija alone this year, in stark contrast to the 72 in nearby Xaghra.

In Xaghra this year, just one driver was booked for disobeying an instruction on a traffic sign.

In Gozo, Maltese and tourists are definitely a contributory factor to the 1,312 tickets that went down in the wardens' computer in Ghajnsielem, which incorporates the Mgarr harbour area. This year, however, just 121 tickets have been issued.

At the other end of the scale, just one individual was fined in Sannat this year. His crime: parking within four metres of a pedestrian crossing.

In the meantime, Balzan wardens have already exceeded last year's quota.

Nearly half the fines handed out this year in Valletta are for entering the city without the licence to do so.

The wardens, operated by two firms - The Guard and Warden Service House and Sterling Security - are allocated according to specific districts. For example, the 12 wardens belonging to the Mosta district have to oversee the localities of Mosta, St Paul's Bay, Mellieha, Naxxar and Gharghur.

Kenneth De Martino, managing director of The Guard and Warden Service House Ltd, explained that it was impossible to work out an average rate of tickets per locality since the hours worked varied from one locality to another.

While wardens were engaged for long hours in areas like Sliema and Mosta, in others they were only assigned to work at specific times of the day.

Mr De Martino believes that the trends in statistics showed that wardens were operating more professionally and were now concentrating on more wide ranging offences rather than just traffic.

"Yes, it's true we really need to focus on offences like littering, but I believe we're on the right track," Mr De Martino said.

The president of the Association of Local Councils, Ian Micallef, believes the wardens have done wonders to instil discipline on the roads.

"But I still think it's not enough and we now should put more of an accent on security, such as people driving with mobile phones or refraining from stopping at traffic lights."

Dr Micallef disagreed that wardens were being heavy handed with motorists and turning a blind eye to emergency situations.

"If I had to show you the list of offences which wardens initially inputted in their computer but never completed, because drivers turn up on time, it would be quite impressive," he said.

No. of wardens per district:

Birkirkara: (Birkirkara, Attard, Iklin, Balzan, Lija, Dingli, Rabat, Mtarfa, Mdina, Sta Venera): eight

Gozo: seven

Msida: (Msida, Hamrun, Mosta): six

Sliema: (Sliema, St Julian's Pembroke, Swieqi, San Gwann, Gzira, Ta' Xbiex): 11

Mosta: (Mosta, St Paul's Bay, Mellieha, Naxxar, Gharghur): 12

Qormi: (Qormi, Zebbug, Siggiewi): two

Valletta: five

Fgura: (Marsascala, Zabbar, Cospicua, Senglea, Fgura, Kalkara): five

Zurrieq, (Zurrieq, Luqa, Mqabba, Kirkop, Qrendi, Safi): three

Zejtun (Paola, Zejtun, Marsa, Tarxien, Gudja, Sta Lucija, Marsa): three