Is Malta still a safe country?

Malta has long prided itself as being a safe country with a relatively low crime rate compared with the rest of Europe, but a spate of hold-ups and muggings since the turn of the year has caused unease among some sections of society and left people questioning their own security.

Nine people were victims of street hold-ups over a period of three weeks, with criminals using pepper spray, knives and even guns to relieve their targets of their possessions in scenes familiar to most Maltese only on their television screens. Most of these instances occurred late at night. There were also two hold-ups of shops on one day last week in the space of two hours. Although several people were charged last month over the incidents, some are concerned.

"At the moment I am scared to walk back to my car when I go to Paceville", said Theresa Scicluna, 24, from Msida. "I usually park in Swieqi at the weekend and I never return to my car alone these days, I am too afraid something will happen."

These concerns are seemingly shared by members of the older generation.

"I don't feel as safe as I used to, especially when it is dark," said Joyce Grima, 64, from Sliema. "Things are changing... everybody lives in apartments and neighbours seem to change all the time, so often you don't know who you are even living next to."

A Facebook group established at the start of last month demanding action to ensure that Malta remains a safe country currently has over 750 members and a link to a petition asking the Prime Minister to increase police presence on the streets.

Joseph Pisani, 35, from San Gwann expressed concern about the potential effects on tourism if Malta loses its reputation as a safe country, while Sliema resident Kevin Farrugia, 28, thinks illegal immigration is a cause of crime.

"It doesn't help that we have hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving and escaping from detention and everything else... I don't think they are committing all the crimes but obviously they are not helping matters... they are making people feel less safe," Mr Farrugia said.

But despite the prevailing sense of concern, statistics have consistently shown that Malta is a relatively safe country. In a 2007 survey of 27 European countries by the World Health Organisation, comparing the rates of assault and murder, the UN body found that Malta was the second safest country, behind Ireland.

Anthropologist and head of sociology at the University of Malta Mark Anthony Falzon was sceptical over whether the recent hold-ups were indicative of Malta becoming less safe overall. He preferred to talk about crime generally rather than any perceived increase.

"Certain localities get more than their fair share (of crime): Gzira, Sliema, St Julian's and the Qawra/Bugibba area are cases in point," he said, citing the transient nature of communities in these areas as a possible reason.

Dr Falzon thinks any general sense of Malta becoming less safe may be due to the visibility of headline-grabbing crimes, such as hold-ups, in the media. He referred to online versions of local newspapers, which allowed readers to comment on news stories, making it "much easier for, say, a rumour, to become formalised and inscribed on the public sphere, and therefore to begin to seem like a 'fact', and possibly a 'statistic'".

Charlene Vella, 21, from Mosta is optimistic about general safety. "I think Malta is still a safe country... Maltese people care about each other. The influx of illegal immigrants and the economic crisis maybe makes some people scared, but we can still walk alone in the middle of the street... compared with other bigger countries, it's not that dangerous," she said.

Saviour Formosa, a criminologist and founder of crimemalta.com, also believes that Malta is still a relatively safe country. However, he acknowledged that the recent spate of hold-ups had been alarming due to their rapid occurrence and mentioned the economic situation as one possible cause.

But for victims of crime, there is little comfort in statistics or words. One woman pensioner from Birkirkara, who did not wish to be named, had her house burgled three years ago but has not seen anyone brought to justice. She believes tougher sentences are needed to deter criminals.

"Many criminals get out on bail or receive suspended sentences... It's not right, they must go to jail. Laws must be enforced," she said.

Dr Formosa thinks a number of measures can be taken to reassure the public that Malta is still a safe country. "Primarily, the police need to be more effective in reporting how these cases are being handled, without alarming the public. There is a need to reassure people through success stories.

"At the other end of the scale, it is best to involve communities through local councils, the security services and criminology specialists in order to come up with an effective combined effort to increase public security. Awareness campaigns and a resurgence of neighbourhood watch programmes is a must," he said.