The recent news regarding teen gangs causing problems in Valletta is worrying.

Not too long ago, in March, videos had appeared online about youths causing problems in Sliema. A video at the time had been shared by the Sliema local council showing a group of youths pushing one other, and forming a circle as two of them fight. It was alarming, and it hadn’t been a one-off. The Sliema council had, at the time, said that over the course of a few weekends “groups of youngsters have been vandalizing street furniture, being excessively noisy, and even fighting between themselves in Bisazza Street." 

Now there is news about Valletta facing issues. An article published in the Times of Malta read that ‘teen gangs are visiting Valletta on weekends to fight and destroy property, forcing at least two businesses to hire security to tackle the problem.’

Let’s also not forget that the issue in Valletta is also not completely new. In January, Prime Minister Robert Abela himself had said that he does not feel very comfortable allowing his daughter walk alone in Valletta. He had made the comment following the news of an assault by a group of adolescents on teenagers in Valletta at the time.

So one must ask… what has been done since then to ensure that this stops and the situation is brought under control?

If this situation has reached the point where businesses have had to hire security, then it has clearly gone too far, and not enough has been done. The police must increase its presence in the problem areas to deter such activity, as clearly the problem persists.

The Times of Malta article last week quotes a worker from a café opposite the Parliament building… which is right at the main entrance to the capital city, as saying: “They run around, take stuff from tables and try to get a rise out of people.”

“They want to start fights but we will not start fights. Instead we call security or the police,” another worker from the capital’s Burger King outlet told the newsroom.

How is this being allowed to happen right on Parliament’s doorstep?

The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) issued a statement following the article, making a number of points, including that these are the same youths teachers need to deal with. One of the main concerns raised by the UPE is the apparent lack of parental control over these students, the union said.  It is critical for parents to take responsibility for their children's behaviour and upbringing, the union said, while also urging the authorities to provide necessary support and resources to educational institutions, allowing them to maintain safe learning environments for both educators and students.

When it comes to the youths committing such trouble, it is clear that their parents are not doing enough to educate and explain that such behaviour is unacceptable.

The authorities should find these youths and teach them about the consequences of continuing down this road. Those who continue acting like gangs will down the road end up in jail.

There could be underlying causes behind the youths acting out. Those causes must be found and tackled. Counselling could help in this regard.

Doing nothing is not an option. Such behaviour needs to be tackled.