In January, I was going to write about the not-so-great Dane who gained access to one of Mater Dei’s examination rooms by faking his way past security ‘to cop a feel’ as a bogus doctor. But I had second thoughts. For starters, I couldn’t bring myself to get worked up about the rather ‘harmless’ sexual side of the story, and was more inclined to see it as the wider world making inroads into a hitherto traditional and ‘unsuspecting’ island.

Of course, it does raise alarm bells: make no mistake, there are psychopaths and plenty of undesirables out there; and yes, in today’s world of porous borders a lot more of them have access to our island. Many of us have had first-hand experience of this, having been victims of relentless burglaries our police can’t seem to get a handle on.

There’s this ever-present paradox here: a chicken and egg security situation, if you like.

On the one hand, we’re this tiny island where, in some parts at least, people’s front-door keys are still left in open view, and where, moreover, visitors from other parts of Europe and the rest of the world still reckon themselves extremely safe.

On the other hand, national security and defences are virtually non-existent. In my experience, with the exception of the Office of the Prime Minister, getting past most anywhere – government departments, State or private-owned hospitals, corporations, companies, factories and other administrative bodies – is an absolute cinch.

This total absence of sophisticated security begs the following question: Is Malta really that safe and secure after all, or are we living with a false sense of security?

I must confess: this national security complacency has always suited me fine. Until recently, I have liked it more than I haven’t. I like sailing and smiling my way authoritatively past nonplussed and essentially lazy-on-duty receptionists, who never ask for identification and who seem to know nothing about the logistics of the meeting I am attending. Of course, it doesn’t really look good or bode well, and one day this could all blow up in our faces – quite literally.

So you see, in many ways, the Dane with his ‘soft porn’ was a soft-landing. More of an urgent wake-up call than a compromising safety situation, which simultaneously extended an invitation to Malta and the Maltese to make the island more secure. This could be a win-win situation all round.

There is an ongoing discussion as to how to put Malta on the map and attract a new breed and quality of tourists. Apart from sunshine, a Mediterranean life­style, Baroque architecture and traditional charm – we do (or did, at any rate) have two very important things to sell. And they are security and safety.

I like sailing and smiling my way authoritatively past nonplussed and essentially lazy-on-duty receptionists

Until very recently, men, and even women, would think ab­solutely nothing of walking home, unchaperoned, after a night out in the early hours of the morning. Nowadays, in the wake of muggings and other crimes, we have had to rethink many things we once took for granted.

I find myself wondering whether safety and security are goals we can ever realistically achieve: in much the same way I wonder whether Malta will ever be litter-free or whether we will ever have decent pavements and roads.

One would imagine that Malta, being a small autonomous island, could have all of the above, and that includes carving out for itself a niche-market in Europe for safety and security (of a kind only dreamed of in the UK, the US, and practically everywhere else). This would attract quality residents, the better sort of tourist, and benefit each and every law-abiding Maltese national, who deserve a better deal from the police and the government.

Still, I don’t think it’s really in our Mediterranean DNA or within our national competence. Even if we did exercise closer scrutiny of shipping movements and sought to carry out proper sea patrols; even if serious screening and verification was carried out at the entry and exit points of airport, ferry and cruise terminal, it still wouldn’t cut it. Compliance, enforcement, consistency and incompetence – our biggest problems – would get in the way and prove insurmountable.

And yet, this security issue has suddenly become so much more urgent than ever before. Everyone last week has asked me what I think of Isis and whether there are legitimate concerns for an imminent threat.

One of the most beautiful things ever said to me about Malta came some years ago from a Palestinian. We are, he suggested, invisible to the rest of the world – a forgotten land. He meant it in the best possible way. Initially, I hated the very idea. I resented the way CNN, BBC and all the major news channels studiously ignored us. Somehow, it was always sunny in Cyprus or raining in Brussels, and nobody cared whether it was sunny or rainy in Malta. Then, a few days ago, for the first time ever, I heard CNN mention that it was raining in Malta, and I thought, why now?

I find it impossible to get worked up about Isis, Ebola or anything that is not part of my immediate world. And yet, now is not the time for Malta to advertise in bright lights any political position, be it neutral, pro-West – or pro-whatever. Which is why I don’t agree with either the Leader of the Opposition or his deputy, who have indicated that Malta should stand up and be counted. It’s easy to get on the statesmanlike bandwagon, but soundbites like these are empty rhetoric and redundant.

And neither do I think this is the silence of cowardice, connivance or tacit support. Anyone who knows Catholic Malta automatically knows what our position is. The fact that if called to account, Malta wouldn’t be in a position to assert itself militarily is, however, reason enough not to add to the cacophony of media voices.

michelaspiteri@gmail.com