The Bahrija playing-field has been subjected to frequent vandalism, Rabat Mayor Charles Azzopardi told The Malta Independent.

A concerned resident called this newsroom, mentioning the danger the site poses to children. The climbing frame is damaged, there is a one foot high wall on one side with a drop on the other, iron bars are ripped out, she said.

In addition, weeds and nettles grow around the site, and one nine-year-old girl fell onto them resulting in the need for stitches.

One resident said that a meeting between officials from OPM and some residents occurred, and that residents were told that the ground will be rebuilt.

Rabat Mayor Charles Azzopardi said that the council does maintain the site, however vandalism is a big problem. “We need more surveillance,” he said while saying that each time he speaks with the police they tell him they are short staffed.

“We have been fixing the problems in the playing field over the past three years, but vandals always damage the site again”.

The problem is not limited to the Bahrija playing field, Mayor Azzopardi said. “The latrine on College Street is fixed weekly due to vandalism”.

He also mentioned that people are dumping rubbish in the countryside. “I once saw half a kitchen dumped. We have a bulky refuse service and they could have used that. Surprisingly, nobody saw who was responsible for the dumping”.

Another issue is the lack of a police towing service, the Mayor explained. “We have had situations where an abandoned car without a licence plate would just receive citation after citation, yet would not be towed”.