The police had gone to Bisazza street last Saturday, after receiving a call of a group of adolescents causing a disturbance, but the group was not found.

The Sliema Local Council recently shared a video showing a group of youths pushing one other and fighting, an alarming new trend that has left locals "worried" and prompting several police reports. 

The local council stated that these past few weekends "groups of youngsters have been vandalizing street furniture, being excessively noisy, and even fighting between themselves in Bisazza Street."

“We appeal to the competent authorities to enforce the law and protect our residents from this constant nuisance. We hope that the authorities will not wait for a serious incident to happen before action is taken,” the Council said in a statement.

In response to questions sent by this newsroom about the situation, the police said: “Last Saturday, at around 2100hrs, the Police received a call about a group of adolescents disturbing the public in Bisazza Street, Sliema. Police immediately went on site but the mentioned group was not found. Police patrolled the area but to no avail. Kindly note that there is increased presence in localities like Sliema, where patrols are carried out every day for crime prevention and community engagement. The Malta Police Force is committed to ensure safe and secure communities around all of Malta and Gozo and is investing heavily to achieve that goal.”

Sliema Mayor John Pillow previously told The Malta Independent that this isn’t a recent phenomenon and that there are “sometimes up to 70 eleven to fourteen-year-olds” who congregate in these areas.

He also said that about a month and a half ago, “there were some kids sitting down on the plaza steps and I was trying to level with them.” After the children asked whether Pillow ever engaged in drug-taking, “one of them told him: “come on, it’s fun taking drugs,” Pillow said.

“This has to stop,” he continued. “As council, we’re very worried that this situation could escalate if nothing is done to address it.”