The police yesterday arraigned five foreigners in connection with a string of thefts that occurred in the Sliema area.

No doubt, this was a major coup for a force that over the past months had been under fire for matters that had little to do with its actual duties. Yesterday’s arraignments will certainly lead to a growth in the public’s confidence in the police force.

The increase in criminal activities in Sliema, St Julian’s and Swieqi was of great concern to the police, largely because the residents in these localities were growing increasingly afraid to leave their homes. Considering that elderly people in these towns make up a sizeable part of the population, the situation was – and remains – serious because it is common knowledge that criminals prey on the more vulnerable sectors of our society.

Meetings were held for the public to air their views on what should be done to combat this criminal activity, but the answer was always the same. Local councils are short of money and cannot afford to install CCTV cameras in each and every corner. There were ideas to set up neighbourhood watch schemes, but not all residents have the time to be part of it or are afraid to do so. They would not want to be the ones who come face to face with criminals or, perhaps worse, are deemed “responsible” if criminal acts happen under their watch. It was up to the police to increase its efforts to catch the perpetrators and, thankfully, they have been successful in their investigations.

Now that the police have resolved this latest spate of criminal activity, people’s minds will be more at rest. But it does not mean that the police can rest on their laurels. They will have to continue monitoring the situation closely and continue their investigations because, as police commissioner Michael Cassar said yesterday, more people could be part of the gang.

The difficult situation in these localities goes beyond robberies. Being at the heart of a concentration of establishments to where people flock to entertain themselves, St Julian’s and Swieqi (and to a lesser extent Sliema) are prone to incidents which cause disturbance and annoyance to the residents. We are talking about noisy revellers in the small hours of the morning, others who relieve themselves on doorsteps and people who vandalise cars and public property.

These are all matters of great concern to the residents, who never know if they are going to be woken out by loud noise or find their property damaged in the morning. While once again calling upon the people who go to Paceville to exercise caution in their behaviour and respect others, it would not be amiss if more police officers are deployed to the areas in question, even those in the outskirts, which are used mainly for parking purposes.