Only two drivers were charged with driving under the influence on St Patrick’s Day, the Malta Police Force told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

This might be considered by some as a 100% success rate, as only two inspections were carried out by police officers on the road – one in Malta and the other in Gozo.

Tens of thousands of people descended on Spinola Bay and its surroundings last Sunday, for yet another day of boozing and hard partying. Several other smaller events were held around Malta and Gozo. In St Julian’s, Spinola Bay was closed to traffic, with revellers urged to make use of a park-and-ride system that was ferrying people to Spinola Bay from Luxol Grounds in Pembroke.

While police presence in the area was noticeable, readers commented about the apparent lack of enforcement on the roads.

Replying to questions by this newspaper, a spokesperson for the Malta Police Force said District Police carried out road checks in different streets in Fontana, Victoria and Ghajnsielem in Gozo, and in Paola, Zebbug and Valletta.

Asked how many searches had been made and how many breathalyzer tests had been administered, the spokesperson said two inspections were carried out, one in Victoria and another in St Julian’s.

When asked how many people had been found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, the spokesperson said that in both cases where inspections had been carried out, charges were issued against the drivers.

District Police, Traffic Police and members from the Rapid Intervention Unit were on duty in aforementioned areas between 8am and 2am.

One hundred officers were on duty, covering different shifts throughout this time, the spokesperson said. Ten of these officers continued their duties after 2am in the Paceville area together with 15 other officers detailed there.

The St Patrick’s Day celebrations in St Julian’s have become something of a tradition but are also an annual nuisance for residents. Besides the blaring music that lasts until late evening, the event also leaves behind mountains of trash – namely empty beer cans and plastic cups. Some 15 tonnes of garbage were collected after the event.

St Julian’s Mayor Guido Dalli told this newsroom last week that the event cost the council some €20,000, part of which were covered by stakeholders from the locality. The costs include cleaning, the Park and Ride initiative, security in the surrounding areas, police, transport and accessibility to toilets.

Deputy Mayor Albert Buttigieg wrote in a Facebook post that the event should be moved elsewhere.

Buttigieg said the thousands who attended the event on Sunday left “papers, cups, urine and vomit” behind them. All the residents got was loud music and rubbish behind their doors, which left some unable to leave their homes, he said