Several teenagers have spoken about using fake ID cards to get into bars and clubs in Paceville and buying alcoholic drinks, even though they are still underage at 15 or 16.

The teens also admitted that nobody checked their age at a number of establishments.

“Yes, I do go to Paceville and I do go into bars,” a 16-year-old girl said. “Very few bars are strict with making sure everyone is above the age of 17.

Some bars which employ bouncers tend to let people of any age in when the bar is empty, especially on weekdays, she said.

“I do buy drinks, but I’m rarely asked to show an ID. If I am asked it would be by the bouncer at the door before entering. The bartenders themselves never ask for an ID,” said the girl, one of several teenagers who spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity.

Teens allowed into bars, served alcohol

All the teenagers spoken to said they knew of friends who used fake IDs to get into bars. Many said they had been allowed into several bars without being questioned and often managed to buy alcoholic drinks.

This contrasts with the impression that might have been given by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in parliament last week: the police had not intercepted any youths under 17 in Paceville and St Julian’s clubs and bars throughout 2022, he said in response to a parliamentary question by PN MP and former St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg.  

Youths under 17 are barred from entering establishments like bars and clubs in the entertainment hub and are not allowed to buy alcohol from them. Any proprietor found in breach of the law may be fined up to €1,250 for each individual found. 

“I am informed that in the period between January 1 and the end of December 2022, the district police did not have situations where they found underage people in a Paceville or St Julian’s establishment,” the minister said.

Many commenting on social media found the answer hard to believe.

One social media user said: “Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri should have reserved this statement for the 1st of April!” Another quipped: “Pull the other one, it has bells on.”

One reader noted: “I have serious doubts if everybody here is living on the same planet.”

'If you don't look, you won't find'

Another put it bluntly: “Of course, if you don’t look, you won’t find.”

Questions were sent to the police but no replies were received by the time of writing. 

Meanwhile, teenagers claim they have a more realistic picture of the situation. A 15-year-old youth said: “I have seen underage teens in Paceville and I rarely see police.”

Another 15-year-old said: “Yes, I do go to Paceville and I do go into bars and most times I am asked for an ID before I enter. I have purchased alcohol before and, yes IDs are required… But I do know people who acquire fake IDs.”

A 14-year-old said he did not go to Paceville but several of his friends did and they spoke about how they managed to get into clubs and even buy alcoholic drinks. A 19-year-old girl said she occasionally went to Paceville but almost reluctantly due to the fact that there were many young people.

“I don’t like to go to places where I see 15, 16-year-olds throwing up because they drank too much. They are my younger brother’s age,” she said.

She did say there were times when she was stopped to check her age in bars.

“I think they do check but I also know for a fact that there are young people who have fake IDs,” she said.