The court, on Monday, dealt with two cases involving people producing and storing illegal fireworks – one man was fined €465 and the other €209.

In the first instance, the court imposed the maximum fine (€465.87). The second falls way short of that mark, but the circumstances of the case were mitigating. However, one has to point out that the court had the option to impose a jail term of less than six months.

One must be wary of public outcry and knee jerk reaction by the media following the deadly blast in Naxxar a couple of weeks ago which left two people dead and others without a home.

However, the tragedy has prompted an expert from the Malta Pyrotechnics Association to say that harsher penalties are needed to act as a deterrent for amateurs to stop producing and storing explosives illegally. We would have to agree. Of course, one does not deserve to be made a scapegoat in reaction to a blast which was unrelated. But, when one considers that one of the men was heard muttering “worth the money that was”, as he was leaving the courtroom, one would have to agree with stiffer penalties.

There are of course many law abiding and licensed fireworks producers in Malta, but it is clear that the time has come to review the law. Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici has already pledged to do so, and this is positive.

But as with many another issues in Malta, weeding out such amateur producers is very much dependant on tip-offs from the general public, as Emergency Ordnance Disposal personnel have recently told the media.

Following the blast in Naxxar, which will surely go down as a watershed in the way we look upon illegal fireworks, people inundated their offices with calls alleging that illegal explosives are being stored in various residences and garages. The calls have in fact led to arrests and people being charged in court. But as the EOD expert pointed out, more often than not, the initial momentum of reports soon withers away as people forget the severity of what happened and cease to be so wary and worried about other possible tragedies. This issue needs to be addressed and can only be tackled by a campaign to urge people to report their suspicions. Fireworks truly are part of our identity; some of the most beautiful fireworks in the world are produced on these little islands of ours. Enthusiasts lovingly and painstakingly assemble them and get them ready for the village feasts in summer and they truly are an attraction.

But, if the usual few keep flaunting the rules and regulations – causing more deaths, injuries and destruction in the process – we could see a situation in the future where they are banned completely, and no one really wants that. But when a good number of people are losing their lives to these explosives every year, it is crystal clear – something must be done about it.

The law needs to be changed and stiffer penalties need to be pushed through court. In the meantime, while not going overboard, the courts need to hand down sentences (even custodial if needs be) that will really deter people from doing such things illegally. One thing is for certain, the status quo cannot go on.

Too many lives, some of them innocent, have been lost as a direct result of malpractice in the field of fireworks production.