Chapter 10

In short

This law, titled the "Code of Police Laws," was established to amend and consolidate existing police laws. It covers various aspects of public order, health, and safety within Malta and its dependencies.

What it regulates

• The use and maintenance of streets and public spaces.
• Regulations concerning specific trades and establishments like shopkeepers, clubs, and theatres.
• Rules related to public health, including cemeteries and inhabited areas.
• Provisions regarding legal professionals and activities in law courts.

Who it concerns

• Any person residing in or visiting Malta and its dependencies.
• Individuals involved in specific professions or activities, such as architects, masons, shopkeepers, and legal professionals.

Key points

• The Code was originally enacted on June 10, 1854, and has been amended numerous times since.
• It defines various terms, including "architect," "cattle-pen," "cemetery," "common tenement-house," "harbour," "house," "inhabited area," "mason," "owner," "pigsty," "privy," "sanitary authority," "sheep-pen," "street," "vehicle," and "vessel."
• Part II, "Of Streets," includes regulations regarding the destruction, obliteration, or defacement of street names, and prohibitions against certain acts and omissions that may cause damage, obstruction, danger, or inconvenience.
• Article 41 prohibits sounding or playing musical instruments, singing, or shouting in public places if requested to desist due to illness or by the Police, and prohibits making excessive noise from devices like loudspeakers that cause a nuisance.
• Part III, "Of the Law Courts," defines "tout" as a person who, without being a qualified advocate, legal procurator, or notary public, undertakes certain legal acts for remuneration, and states that touting is an offence.