Paceville police squad to start patrols this summer
Police will also be rolling out new vehicles for the Rapid Intervention Unit
A long-promised new police unit, known as the Paceville squad, will begin patrolling Paceville’s streets this summer, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced on Monday.
In 2021, a police union called for a specialised unit of trained officers to be established to patrol Paceville and respond to cases in the nightlife hotspot.
The proposal eventually found its way into Labour’s 2022 electoral manifesto, but has remained on paper since then, despite repeated claims from both the Home Affairs and Tourism ministries that the squad was in the works.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Camilleri said the new unit will finally be operational by this summer.
The unit will be making use of a network of security cameras across Paceville, Camilleri said, with authorities looking to extend camera surveillance across other localities, including Swieqi, St Paul’s Bay, Marsa and Paola.
Earlier in the same meeting, criminologist Saviour Formosa and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa presented the latest edition of the Annual Crime Review, which showed Malta’s crime rate is on the decline.
The review shows there were 1,400 reported offences in St Julian’s in 2025, down from 1,753 the previous year.
Camilleri said the decline in crime across Malta can be attributed to several factors, from an increased police presence in Malta’s streets to the move to intelligence-led and community policing, and greater investment in police resources.
30 new vehicles for RIU
Meanwhile, the police’s Rapid Intervention Unit, often the first responders to emergency calls, will receive 30 new vehicles, at a cost of almost €2 million, Prime Minister Robert Abela said.
The vehicles, fitted with reinforced glass, will start being deployed over the coming weeks.
The government is also set to finalise a new collective agreement for civil protection workers shortly, he said. This is a reflection of the government’s continued drive to improve the working conditions for employees of Malta’s disciplinary forces, he added.