The number of police officers deployed to Paceville has been increased and a dedicated squad is being set up for the area, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said on Monday.

He did not give details on the manpower increase or specify when the squad will become operational.

The minister said work on improving security in Paceville was continuous: “There is ongoing work, coordinated by the tourism and home affairs ministries, to continue to improve security.

“It is important that we improve security so that the investment that is taking place continues to flourish.”

His comments followed a series of violent clashes in the entertainment mecca.  

Over the weekend the police launched an investigation into a brawl that broke out in St George’s Road on Saturday night. 

In footage that was shared on social media over the weekend, a group of men could be seen confronting a group of bouncers in front of a popular nightclub. 

Last week, a 26-year-old man was reported to be critically injured after a fight in St Julian’s, while another three men were involved in another fight in which two French men were reported to have been injured. 

Last month, a man entered an eatery in Paceville and attacked patrons with a knife and a glass bottle. Less than 24 hours earlier, four men were injured in a fight involving a sword and glass object. 

Bartolo recently said it was time to rethink the island's tourism product and strive for better quality.

On Monday, he said that the Tourism  Ministry was working on a budget measure that will see the setting-up of an association through a ‘private-public partnership’ that will ensure the necessary investment in the locality.

Meanwhile, last month Home Affairs Byron Camilleri told parliament that discussions over a special squad focused on security in the locality were underway.

Asked when the squad will be set up and running, Bartolo said only that works have already begun and police presence has been increased.

“We hope that this new squad will start operating soon. We are doing everything by the book."

Bartolo said the government was also looking into increasing cleanliness in the area, an issue that has been flagged by the St Julian’s mayor and tourism and hospitality stakeholders.

'This is unacceptable': St Julian's mayor

Meanwhile, the mayor of St Julian's, Albert Buttigieg, has written to Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa saying the current situation in Paceville is unacceptable.

He wrote that even as a parent, he was concerned that people who went to Paceville to enjoy themselves ended up being exposed to these risks. He was worried that a group of people had reduced the country to a place where the law of the jungle prevailed.

Buttigieg said this was a slap in the face of all those, including the government and business owners, who were investing in Malta’s tourism product.

As he asked for an urgent meeting, the mayor questioned why no police officers were anywhere to be seen during the incident on Saturday evening, pointing out that bouncers were there to ensure order inside premises and not out in the street.

The mayor reminded the commissioner that the special squad for Paceville had been promised, especially for the early hours of the morning because problems usually occur between 2am and 5am.

“I am asking you to urgently meet with the council to discuss security in this locality and what is being done to ensure greater security and peace of mind,” Buttigieg wrote.