Sliema priest shares residents’ frustration

A priest in Sliema has called on authorities to introduce community policing in the area, saying residents are frustrated by “overdevelopment and noise”.

“I remember when Sliema was a place where people came to enjoy the seaside quietly,” Etienne Sciberras, the parish priest at St Gregory, told Wednesday’s meeting.

“I’m sorry to say that Sliema is no longer what it used to be. Its residents are victims of overdevelopment and overtourism.”

Sciberras was speaking to residents and the media at a meeting organised by Flimkien for a Better Environment and the Sliema Residents Association to discuss overdevelopment in Gżira, Sliema and St Julian’s.

He was joined by Father Paul Mizzi of St. Julian’s Parish. Several parish priests from the three localities were unable to attend the meeting due to illness or funerals.

Residents shared their frustrations with overdevelopment, noise pollution and daily waste problems. Image credit: Jonathan Borg

Siberas said Sliema had become an ugly city, with streets littered with rubbish and noisy, ill-dressed tourists strolling along the seafront.

He claims that when he raised the issue of indecent clothing with police, he was told that criminal offences could not be enforced in order to avoid affecting the tourism industry.

“Sliema needs community police,” he added.

Residents have been calling for community policing for years.

The call was strengthened because Violence On the Sliema front, including murder Paulina Dembuksa In 2022.

That year, the Ministry of the Interior told Times of Malta Community policing in Sliema will be “realised” by 2023.

A year has passed and this promise has still not been fulfilled.

Working with Times of MaltaSliema Mayor John Pillow said he had called a meeting with police chiefs to discuss the introduction of community policing.

Father Paul Mizzi at a press conference on Wednesday. Photo credit: Jonathan Borg

“What will we leave for the next generation?”

The conference covered many topics – from the growing problem of waste to noise pollution and overdevelopment.

mayor and resident Three places often have a large number of Uncollected garbage On the streets, and how over developed Traffic problems also have a negative impact on them.

Both pastors said overdevelopment has stifled a sense of community and has had a negative impact on an aging population.

“I’m all for progress, but I think the brakes (on development) should have been stepped on a long time ago,” Mize said.

“It’s great to live in a diverse, inclusive country, but aren’t seniors part of that diversity?” he asked, noting that elderly residents have a hard time walking because of the poor quality of sidewalks.

Mize said several parishioners told him they were “buried in their homes” and had no lights in their homes because of the tall buildings.

He also talked about young children being exposed to marijuana smoke and how people can smell marijuana in public places like beaches.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to build a community because many of the people who move to Sliema are foreigners who come to work, have fun and then leave for another country,” he said.

At the end of his speech he mentioned GenesisGod created humans to be “stewards” on Earth.

“The land does not belong to us, we are here to leave the land to the next generation. My question is: what do we leave for the next generation?”

“Our communities are suffering,” Astrid Vera said on Wednesday.

“GDP is their God, not the voters”

Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar Astrid Vella told the same conference that all politicians and developers care about is money.

“GDP is their god — they only care about money, not voters,” she said.

She said Malta needs not only high-quality tourists but also to create more intrinsic community value.

“Our communities are suffering from overdevelopment and overtourism,” she said.

She added that more than 300 licences had been issued to hotels in St Julian’s, Sliema and Gzira between 2013 and 2024.