Crime rate rising steeply - Gulia

Criminality was on the rise, the drug problem was growing and the police were demoralised, the Opposition spokesman on home affairs, Gavin Gulia, said in Parliament yesterday.

Speaking in the budget debate on the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry, he asked what was happening in the police force. Rather than being solved, problems were becoming more acute, he said.

There was crisis in the sector and year after year there was a substantial increase in the crime rate.

In 1998 a total of 14,636 crimes had been registered, in 1999 the number had gone up to 15,855, in 2000 there were 16,861, in 2001 there was a drop to 15,664, in 2002 the number again went up to 16,807, in 2003 to 17,483 and in 2004 to 18,127. Between January and October this year 15,607 crimes were committed, about 500 more than in the same period last year, so it seemed that this would be another record year for criminality, he said.

Why was there this increase in criminality? Even hold-ups had increased and in the past 10 days there seemed to be a hold-up every day. What was the police force doing to combat crime and create a deterrent? It seemed that nothing was being done, he asked.

The police were not even being seen on Maltese streets and roads. Were police officers being deployed well? What had become of policemen on the beat? To combat criminality, a police presence was needed.

One could not expect to have a policeman on every corner, but one expected to see policemen on the streets.

The country was also failing with regard to drugs. This was a problem which was linked to the problem of theft, and unless demand was attacked, supply would always be found.

Dr Gulia said that in general ranks, the police were demotivated and in the past two years there had never been as many resignations as at present: 63 officers had left in 2004 and 66 had already left this year. It was more preoccupying when officers left before completing 25 years of service.

Mobile squad cars left much to be desired, but there were some 26 police cars which were not seen on the roads. They were garaged and taken out for the Police Day parade and would now be taken out again for the CHOGM. It seemed that the government was determined to keep them new.

Dr Gulia pointed out that several police stations were being kept closed. He had gone around the north one night in summer and there were only five officers to monitor the whole of the north. Five stations were closed. Last week Dr Gulia said he had gone through the south and found eight to 10 officers to cover the whole of the south in nine stations. Most were closed.

Transfers and promotions in the past years also served to demoralise police officers. Promotions were given to some who did not deserve them, and this demoralised the rest.

Turning to the prisons, Dr Gulia said that an improvement had been registered. There was a certain stability, but it was very preoccupying that drugs had increased in prison.

On immigration, he said this was a serious problem, most notably for the police.

He hoped that a report which was due to be issued by the immigration task force would be made public soon.

Replying, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said that while the opposition spoke of so called low morale, the police had made notable successes.

The Criminal Investigation Department had solved three homicide cases, two dating back 20 years.

In the drugs sector, there had been record hauls of ecstasy, heroin and cocaine. In the first 10 months of the year the Drug Squad also conducted 510 drug raids, arrested 700 people, and arraigned 100 on trafficking and 300 on possession.

The police economic crime unit stopped 36,000 fake items from entering the market along with two containers of cigarettes.

Dr Borg said policemen always enjoyed the best working conditions under Nationalist governments.

The Nationalist government had increased their wages and these were to be further increased in the next five years - in the case of a constable from Lm5,225 to Lm6,024 after five years in service.

Moreover, while Lm1.7 million were given in allowances in 1998, a total of Lm1.9 million.

Dr Borg also pointed out that many left the force after finishing their 25 years of service. This was their right. In doing so, they received a two/thirds pension and a wage if they chose to work. However, since 1998 only an average of 42 policemen left each year and 12 had served for less than 25 years. A total of 134 had left in the two years of Labour administration.

He said that police on the beat in Valletta had been given new two-way radios and this facility would soon be given to all policemen on the beat.

As for the crime rate, one should note that this included everything, even petty theft and bounced cheques.

Compared to last year the number of hold ups had dropped. Car thefts dropped from 1,200 in 1998 to 555 by the end of October, even though there were 40,000 more cars than in 1998.

It was true that total thefts had increased, but the increase was less than it had been under Labour. Moreover, 40 per cent of all thefts were of amounts less than Lm50, 12 per cent of amounts less than Lm10. Some 19 per cent of all thefts were thefts of mobile phones.

Dr Borg said the police had 320 vehicles in the force. A number of new Focus cars were being kept garaged but would enter service in time for CHOGM and would then continue to be used.

It was also not true that overtime was being reduced. Yesterday and the day before there were 101 police officers at stations, and only Gzira station was closed. Stations were also closed temporarily while the police went out on the beat. In Malta, Dr Borg said, there were 54 stations and one could not expect these to be open at all times.

Turning to the prisons, he said that upgrading work had continued, despite an increase in the prison population, and the one-prisoner-to-a-cell principle was retained. Malta was the only country in Europe where this principle was applied.

There was an increase in the number of prisoners working outside prison; 46 were working for private firms getting 80c an hour so the number of working prisoners increased to 165 (52 per cent).

In his speech Dr Borg briefly spoke on requisition, saying the government was planning legislation to better define "public purpose."