Arson investigations 'at a delicate stage'

Police investigations into the spate of arson attacks on cars and property, which might be linked to racism, have reached a "delicate stage", Police Commissioner John Rizzo said yesterday.

One of the two senior police inspectors investigating the arson attacks, specialises in terrorism.

Mr Rizzo said it would be a mistake to associate each of the cases to a single cause. The police were not excluding anything, he said, without elaborating on the stage the investigations have reached.

The Commissioner was addressing the media at the police headquarters, in Floriana.

He said he was satisfied with the response to a scheme launched last November to foster closer cooperation between the police and local councils but would like to see more councils participating. A lot of good could result from such cooperation, he added.

Under the scheme, the police are making available senior officers to serve as contact persons for the councils. The intention is also to educate the public on measures that could be adopted not to fall victims of crime.

For example, plastic bags containing food or other objects that were often hung on doors were a sign to would-be burglars that the residents were out. There were similar examples that should be noted, Mr Rizzo said.

He suggested that councils could be instrumental in providing support services to people who became victims of break-ins.

At times, victims, particularly elderly ones, were at a loss about what to do to repair their doors or windows after a break-in.

Perhaps the services of a carpenter, through the council, could be made available for this purpose, he suggested.

The police corps would be willing to accept invitations by local councils to give talks on prevention, he added.

Mr Rizzo said there had been a slight drop in crime in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, although a slight increase was registered in the number of hold-ups. But, he remarked, crime came in waves for various reasons. The police force had dedicated the current year to stepping up the fight against crime in a proactive manner. Several measures were being taken in this regard.

Closed circuit cameras had been installed in Republic Street, Valletta, to serve as a deterrent, with the cooperation of the council and the business community. Mr Rizzo said he would like these cameras to be installed in Santa Lucia and Merchants streets, also in Valletta.

The police were closely following investigations by the Italian police into the case of a Colombian man who fell ill at Fiumicino airport after a capsule containing cocaine burst in his stomach. The man was on his way to Malta.

He said the Malta police were still awaiting information about the case from their Italian counterparts.