I have just finished watching the Bondiplus programme on abuse of alcohol by the under sixteens. Unfortunately, I still have to see whether any sort of improvement will result from the arguments and facts advanced by both the speakers and Mr Bondi’s team, albeit for further media spotlight on the problem.

We have been hearing the same arguments over and over again. Has there been any improvement? And what about the Alcohol Abuse Task Force? It must be humiliating for its members to state that after three years we may just start reaping some benefits. In the meantime, thousands of youths, sorry, CHILDREN, have been abusing alcohol, and the alcoholic drinks industry has made a good profit.

Considering the time it takes for a proposal to pass into law, maybe within another three years, just in time for an election, we shall have some new laws. This at the expense of another few thousand children and more profit for the alcoholic drinks industry.

What about raising the age limit to 18? Enforcement, both by the police as well as the industry, is either practically inexistent or ineffective. I would compare the situation to the regional road bridges having 100-ton trucks thundering over them in their already sorry and dangerous state.

Assistant Commissioner Brincat, who continually tried to lessen police responsibility to enforce the law, was quite right when he said that it’s a nightmare to enforce a law which is, as the founder of Ghaqda Genituri Inharsu‘l Uliedna stated, “a law dating back to the day when a man went drinking using his horse for transport as the horse takes him home because it knows the way home”. Mr Brincat however failed to voice any opinion on what could be done regarding the laws issue, although he should be the first person, who has hands on experience of the problems brought about by the present legislation, to do so. Pontius Pilate washing his hands? I hope not. Not from the top brass of the Police Force at any rate.

The representative of the Sense Group went into all sort of technicalities but did not mention how his group would intensify their campaigns. I understand that more sales are equal to more profits but sticking to the group’s ideal is encouraged. A couple of adverts a year is not enough, and that is the general impression I got from the Sense Group; a couple of adverts to rebut criticism and that’s all. Another Pontius Pilate? That’s the impression I get.

Sedqa and the other NGOs should both be given more resources to transmit their messages and, at the same time roll up their sleeves. I have rarely seen any form of advertising or other communications encouraging moderation, offering assistance services, educational material and so on, in Paceville, Bugibba, Wied il-Ghajn and other popular entertainment spots.

I do not like to criticise only but also make constructive suggestions, so, here are mine:

• Lay down a legal requirement that shops or businesses selling alcohol must ask to see the buyer’s I D card and not sell alcohol to anybody under the apparent age of 25 unless the official I D card is presented if Maltese, or other official identification document for foreigners.

• Introduce a one per cent community tax on alcohol sales to set up a fund to pay for increased patrolling by police / wardens in the main entertainment/problem areas, preferably in plain clothes. Also, breathalyser checkpoints to be set up outside main entertainment areas for random but sustained checks for drink driving offenders. Part of the fund should also be made available to NGOs / private bodies which organise activities where alcohol is not sold.

• Making it illegal for people under 16 to consume alcohol, and impose punishments for community service in NGOs and consultation with therapists / social workers for repeat offenders. Parents should also be called to share the burden in such punishments.

• Increase fines for owners of establishments selling alcohol to underage young people to at least Lm 1,000, without any reductions for first time offenders. Introduce jail sentences for repeat ofenders, including automatic suspension of trading licence. Introduce automatic disqualification of licence condition in Trading Licences. Licencees and staff should be punished together, even in the absence of the former, thus exerting pressure on both to adhere to the law.

• Introduce a law barring retailers from advertising alcoholic drinks in entertainment areas; barring happy hours and the like; barring alcoholic drinks on sale from being visible outside retailer’s premises, including “bottle shops”, places of entertainment and other retail outlets.

• Exercise more controls on places outside the main entertainment areas. This is totally inexistent as we speak. This does not mean having police at every alcohol shop in Malta, but plainly enforce the law. (I wish to digress here – where are the police? I can see wardens four or five times every day but might not see the police in four or five in a whole week. Has the Police Force been turned en masse into a plain clothes secret service or are we too busy setting up police stations everywhere so that the officer can stay inside relaxing while all hell is let loose just outside the station’s walls?)

The government would do well to encourage the Task Force to present their submissions and studies as soon as possible, so that maybe, by the time Christmas comes round we may be delighted by new laws, new powers for the police and new resources for aid agencies.

Maybe we shall have fewer alcoholics, a few more youngsters in the right state of mind and less deaths on our roads. But clearly, something needs to start being done, not just the washing of hands Pontius Pilate fashion.

Joseph Borg

BIRKIRKARA