‘Stop this yobbish, loutish behaviour through serious enforcement’

Paceville club owner, businessman and hotelier HUGO CHETCUTI believes that increased police presence and more serious enforcement is needed to put a stop to yobbish and arrogant behaviour at the entertainment mecca. He speaks to Rebecca Iversen about th

As a businessman who runs a number of establishments in the Paceville area, what are your main challenges?

The biggest problem in Paceville is the lack of police on the streets. It’s not that they don’t do their job, but there simply aren’t enough of them. Of course, this affects my business because if you mention Paceville to families today, it simply is not somewhere they particularly want to visit. As the Maltese saying goes, “there are a hundred dogs for every bone”, which is the situation at the moment.

It comes down to these certain individuals who need to know that there are repercussions when they cause trouble. This is why the police need to be out there every day, not just on some day. The reality is that if someone causes trouble and the police are not there to witness it, they will likely come back to cause trouble again because they will feel that there is nothing to worry about.

Maltese families have started to become fearful of Paceville, and to a certain extent you can’t blame them.

What is the situation with violence, noise and drugs in Paceville at the moment?

The problem of drugs is not only found in this area, but everywhere. People even take drug during village feasts.

I have seen people walking down roads and turning back because they are scared of the people selling drugs there. This has nothing to do with race. I know there are people from all sorts of places who are selling drugs, even selling in my establishments. It happens everywhere and the police know about these people, and they do arrest individuals who are found to be carrying drugs, so the job is being done.

Of course there is also a problem with noise. After a night out people tend to be under the influence of alcohol. Yes, there are instances where groups of people will begin screaming and chanting, even though there are massive signs telling people to keep it down. Sometimes the police see this happening but just stand there. There needs to be a stronger police presence.

As a hotel owner I know that excessive noise can be detrimental.

There are also some problems with pickpocketing and I am working with the council to try and solve the issue.

These problems don’t need to take years to be solved; the police just need to be present more and enforce the more seriously. The fact is that if there is fight involving 20 people and only four police officers are available, the latter will find it difficult to step in. There need to be more police officers.

Every couple of weeks we hear about some altercation between bouncers and revellers. Whose fault is it? Are bouncers being properly trained? Are they the peacemakers or the ones causing the violence? What is the role of bouncers in Paceville?

Normally, if people who are removed from the clubs by security are given over to the police the problem is solved. However, there have been times where I dismissed security personnel because I was not happy with how they reacted in certain incidents.

Then again there are club-goers who, under the influence of alcohol, become quite aggressive and try to provoke the bouncers. A security official should never raise his hand but of course tempers rise in such heated situations. The security people become provoked and mistakes are made.

Such incidents will keep on

happening but security issues have decreased because now there are rules and bouncers can get into serious trouble if they step out of line. However, we could control show-offs if the police handle the situation properly. Security are not in police uniforms so some people tend to believe that they can do anything without repercussions.

I repeat, the bouncers cannot kick or punch anyone. That is completely wrong. The best part is that I end up getting the blame because people think I’m telling them to react that way and it is just not true. I fire anyone like that and I really enforce the rules on the bouncers.

You had spoken before about the ‘women who hand out vouchers for gentlemen’s clubs.’ Are you in favour or against this?

The problem of girls on the street of Paceville forcing themselves on people to come into the gentlemen’s club is something I have always had a problem with. I did have gentlemen’s clubs myself but now I’m renting them out and I am not involved in their operation. I don’t want to be involved in them for now.

The law had to change because they bother people, almost harass them to go into the clubs, which to me is completely wrong. The authorities are changing it so that there will be only be one person for each club, not 6 or 8. The thing is they’re just scaring people off and it’s really not polite. Anyone walking in the street with their partner or relatives are suddenly approached and asked to enter these clubs and it just does not look good at all. It is not a problem of having gentlemen’s clubs around, but the focus has got be left on the inside, not the outside. But things are changing for the better and I’m very happy about that.

Can you comment on the issue of litter in the area?

There is a litter problem but there have been improvements. However, especially in summer, the cleansing services need to come more often, particularly in the road leading down to St George’s Bay, which is very neglected and needs to be cleaned much more frequently.

I take care of cleaning around my establishments every day. I think cleanliness is an important part in maintaining a high standard.

What is your vision for the future of Paceville? Is it going to remain a place for young people only or do you plan to cater to a more mature scene?

The clubs will remain. Take Footloose club, for example. I had created it and now I’ve got it back. The club will remain and so will the theme, which appeals to younger and older generations as well.

We are currently developing my second hotel on top of the club and this is going to revamp the entire area and keep the tourists flowing through. For me this is the top area and one could say that I have put all my eggs in one basket. The development we will be carrying out will change the area completely, for the better. I truly believe in this area. We need a few years but it’s going to change completely.

With regards to Hugo’s Burger, yes, I am going to branch out round the island, I think, and we’re going international because it has received a lot of interest. The franchise could possibly branch out to Saudi Arabia, one of the places that is interested, but we have had a lot of attention so we will see.

I’m opening 160 rooms soon. One hundred and twenty are open already and, in all, I will have 480 rooms available, so this area is going to be very busy. Also, with airlines such as Ryanair flying to even more destinations in Europe, I feel Paceville is going to continue flourishing.

I do believe that we have lost locals in this area but I believe we can get them back, and this summer, with the opening of Infinity, we really saw Maltese customers return.

What are your thoughts on the Paceville Master Plan and residents around the area?

I like the idea of high-rise buildings and the more they open up the better for the area. I honestly think these modern towers are really attractive.

The residents who have been here for a long time are selling, and selling for large amounts and they don’t have to move but those who already live in apartment towers should not be affected.

Now I’m not saying you should put towers everywhere in this area at all. But this is an area of entertainment, casinos, hotels, restaurants, and so on, so I believe modern construction is necessary.

I like the idea of highrise buildings and the more they open up the better for the area. I honestly think these modern towers are really attractive