The two local warden agencies, The Guard & Warden Service House Ltd and Sterling Security Co. Ltd, strongly object and deplore an article published in a local Sunday paper which was factually wrong and totally misleading. It is a misconception that the private contractors engaged in the local warden system have direct access to funds generated by the system.

It is important to point out that the local councils contract the local warden agencies to provide the services of local wardens at an hourly rate. The prices the agencies offer are regulated by the tendering process issued by government every five years.

It is therefore totally unjustified to insinuate that public funds are being received and managed by private contractors and, indeed, no private company is fining or collecting any funds from the general public. All funds are, in fact, collected by the local councils and/or Transport Malta and are deposited directly into the account of the Local Councils’ Joint Committee. In other words, the private contractors are in no way involved with the handling of any public funds in relation to the Local Enforcement System (LES).

It is also appropriate to point out that all local wardens employed by the agencies have an industry-wide collective agreement, which regulates their wages and conditions of work. Furthermore, both warden agencies confirm that, as indicated on numerous occasions, no quotas exist for the issuing of contraventions. However, the performance of all employees is monitored on a continuous basis to ensure that the system is working at an optimal level.

Martin Azzopardi

The Guard & Warden

Service House Ltd

Noel Schembri

Sterling Security Co. Ltd