It's not just because we're curious

If you're one of those sitting on a moral high horse telling people and the media to stop speculating about the New Year's Day double murder, then stop wasting your time.

Yes, people should shut up and wait for the facts to come out, but the truth is we will not stop talking, and the media will not stop speculating, until we're given some clear and credible answers.

And no, it's not (only) because we're curious imps and love a juicy story; it's not (only) because we're a pack of village gossipers, and it doesn't have (much) to do with the fact that one of the victims was related to a not so ordinary citizen, who for some reason won't stop talking to the media.

The main reason why people are so interested in finding out the real motive behind this horrific crime is, FEAR.

Whenever we hear about such crimes we automatically and justifiably get scared. Our minds start racing and we subconsciously scan our own houses for potential security risks. But when we find out that the motive behind a crime was personal, or that there was some form of a relationship between the attacker and the victim, then we conclude that it wasn't random, and this helps us put our mind at rest.

In blatant terms, we find it easier to cope with domestic murder than with random acts of violence because in the case of the latter, we could very easily be the next victim.

Think about it - how come no one has suggested that this crime could have been motiveless? That it could have been a random case of mistaken identity/address?

Why does everybody think that there was some form of secret history between the two victims, that there had to be some form of strong motive, or at least a weak one that went terribly wrong?

If playing Assassins Creed can do this to you, what are the chances that at least one other gamer has been affected in the same way and is still on the loose?

Since all scenarios (including randomness) are still being considered viable, I for one have already made plans to increase the security around my penthouse, but had I to find out that there was a personal motive or a history between the two families then I probably wouldn't bother; I would go back to feeling safe knowing that Malta's crime rate is amongst the lowest in the world and that most crimes are personal.

The fear of random crime or rather the fear of ending up being a victim of a random crime has affected societies for time immemorial. This fear is bigger and much more widespread than the actual probability of ever being a victim of crime.

In the Western world the majority of murders are committed by spouses or lovers. It is a very small minority that turn out to be complete strangers, but because random murders by outsiders are so rare, they are the ones which get the front page coverage in the media.

Back in 1984 a UK Home Office survey revealed that 16% of young women felt unsafe after dark when statistically they only had a 2.8% chance of ever being attacked. On the same lines, 37% of women aged over 61 also felt unsafe, when there was only a 1.2% chance of them ever becoming victims.

So whilst I'm up to my nose with the different speculative versions that have been doing the rounds, I hope that a credible motive is revealed soon enough, because the thoughts that come with such fear affect our behaviour and can have a damaging effect on our lives. It affects public health and our psychological well-being, and it can gradually change our lifestyle turning some places into danger zones. Of course this is not all bad because it is worry that leads to caution and this is always good to have, but undue insecurity is pretty hard to live with, especially for those who live alone.