The Police Officers Union has suggested CCTV coverage for the Sliema promenade and other locations, arguing that having more policemen on the beat was not the best solution.

Calls for a heavier police presence in Sliema have been made after the murder of a Polish woman there in January and an assault on a jogger last week, among other incidents. 

Late last week, Sliema council said police officers would be patrolling the Sliema promenade from 5am till midnight.

The local council said the patrols - from Exiles to the Strand - will kick off following talks with the prime minister and home affairs minister.

The union pointed out that the Sliema seafront is 6km long and it is difficult for a small group of officers to cover it all, round the clock, simply by being on the beat.

This was especially the case when the current strength of the police was 'unacceptable' and many officers were already being ordered to work overtime.  

The union called for a CCTV system to be installed in cooperation with the local council, Transport Malta and LESA.

The system should be connected to the police control room, ensuring complete real-time coverage and enabling the police to respond immediately to any incident since they would know the time and location immediately. 

This system, while offering more security to the police, would also be cheaper to operate than having many more officers on the beat, the union said.