No 'crisis' in law and order, police chief insists

Police Commissioner John Rizzo said yesterday a number of youths attending the New Year's Eve party at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta had challenged officers when they were advised not to sit on a wall overlooking the bastions opposite the venue.

Speaking to the press in his periodical briefing, Mr Rizzo was asked about police investigations into the death of 19-year-old Jeannette Mifsud who fell from the wall to her death five storeys below while taking in some fresh air outside the MCC during the party.

He said police investigations into reports that a number of people at the party had been taken to hospital suffering from the effects of "spiked" drinks had proved negative.

No one was treated for such an effect and the only report made by a parent, who claimed that his son had spent the whole day after the party asleep, was subsequently withdrawn by the person concerned, Mr Rizzo said.

Mr Rizzo said the police had also tested samples of the drinks served during the party.

Referring to the double dissolution of the trial by jury of Brian Vella, who stands charged with the murder of an elderly couple six years ago, Mr Rizzo denied he had prejudiced the case the first time the trial was dissolved two years ago. He said there had been nothing controversial in his testimony.

The situation that led to the dissolution of the trial had arisen after he had completed his evidence, he said.

However, he said he felt he should not comment on the second time the trial was dissolved last week. Whoever was following the trial knew what had happened but he would not enter into the merits related to the case.

Mr Rizzo replied to comments made by the Labour spokesman on home affairs, Gavin Gulia, and denied the existence of a "crisis" in law and order.

"My role is not to criticise anyone but to defend the corps from certain unjust comments," Mr Rizzo said.

He said one had to accept that crime had gone up when compared to the situation 15 years ago. "This is due to changed circumstances. Vulnerability and the opportunity to commit certain types of theft did not exist but now they do. There are many factors which have contributed to an increase in crime but this should not be blamed on the police. The force had introduced new shifts and has strengthened the mobile squad to make the streets safer," he maintained.

He said that crime waves occur periodically and he acknowledged that at present there was one such wave of hold-ups. The police are holding various people in connection with these hold-ups, he added.

But the police were actively combating crime at the same time as they faced various drawbacks. One such drawback, he said, was when accused were released on bail after the hard work put in by the police to catch criminals.

Although the top priority of the police corps was to fight crime the force had other responsibilities. There were some 120 members engaged with illegal immigrants, he said as an example.

Mr Rizzo also remarked that although any crime was cause for concern, especially violent hold-ups, one also had to keep in mind that 50 per cent of recent hold-ups were not the result of organised crime and only small amounts had been stolen.

He said the police were concentrating on suspicions that foreigners might be involved in the recent wave, having come to Malta to commit crime.

The police corps, he continued, needed more members. It had recently made a request to the competent authorities to recruit 100 new officers to boost its complement of 1,789.

Referring again to Dr Gulia's accusations, he said it was incorrect to say that the crime rate had last year broken the previous year's record of 11,333 general thefts. In fact, the number of such thefts last year was 11,238, 100 fewer than the year before.

One should also mention the successes achieved by the police in their investigations, he added.

Arraignments were showing that certain foreigners, which Mr Rizzo described as gypsies, were involved in the wave of thefts.

He called for more cooperation by the public because it was difficult for the police to combat crime on their own. Members of the public can make reports to the police on 2122 4001 or 2123 0313.