The Justice and Home Affairs Minister recently answered a parliamentary question saying that no people under the age of 16 were caught consuming alcohol between January and September.

Last year, the legal age at which one can consume alcohol was raised from 16 to 17 – all well and good, and we are sure that the minister was correct in the official figures he quoted.

But one must ask, who is carrying out the enforcement? One only needs to ask St Julian’s residents what they think of the news item. We will ask this question, it is a simple one and it will give the answer. Has anyone ever walked past the ‘bottle shop’ areas of Paceville and St Julian’s?

If you have, then you would be well within your rights to ask the same question we pose in this editorial... who is carrying out the enforcement?

A quick trip to St Julian’s on a Friday or Saturday night would yield all the answers. Paceville is full of ‘off-licence’ after hour shops that sell alcohol. One only needs to take a look up some side side street to see that teenagers, some as young as 14 do consume alcohol.

We shall not go into the ins and outs of whether shop owners knowingly sell alcohol to teenagers. We shall simply stick to the issue of enforcement.

Teenagers used to flock to the old football pitch opposite a tax firm’s premises to drink themselves into a stupor. The place was dingy and covered in broken glass.

The authorities spruced up the garden and it is now locked at night, meaning that kids can no longer drink there.

What is inexplicable though, is how the authorities have said that not one under age person was caught drinking. They do it, and they actually flaunt it. They buy a bottle of cheap vodka or whisky, they go sit on a doorstep and they drink the lot. This IS common knowledge. So we will again have to ask how not one single teenager was caught consuming alcohol!

This newspaper understands that the police are short of staff, and we also understand that this problem becomes much more acute on the weekend. We also understand that the police have other problems to deal with, such as marshalling crowds, checking establishments, breaking up fights, dealing with drunk and disorderly people and much more.

What we are proposing, however, is that wardens should take up inspection and enforcement duties in this regard. We might get a rebuttal saying that they do so already. If someone does want to challenge this editorial, we will simply direct them to the area in question. The truth is, quite simply, that a blind eye is turned to underage drinking. It is evident. It is there for everyone to see. We will again say, just ask the residents what they have to put up with.

In addition to the noise and disturbed peace, these people have to deal with vandalism, mopping up vomit, food and wrappers the next day. In extreme cases, residents have had to deal with human excrement and urine in their front porches and this is all related to the excessive consumption of alcohol.

Yes. It is definitely very clear. More action needs to be taken to discourage this sort of behaviour and the only way to do it is through stiff fines and constant patrolling. Failure to do so will only enhance Malta’s dubious reputation of being the binge-drinking capital of the Mediterranean.