Eight out of every 10 reported thefts from establishments in Malta are from empty households, according to crime statistics compiled by the EU.

Some 13,000 thefts from buildings were recorded by the police between 2002 and 2012, with nearly 10,000 targeting homes. The vast majority of these occurred when the homes were empty, classifying them as burglaries.

In the following two years – 2013 and 2014 – there was a spike in concerns over domestic break-ins. Last year, Times of Malta reported that Sliema residents were worried that their locality was being targeted by thieves following a spate of break-ins in the area. In fact, the number of reports of break-ins in the area in the first six months of 2014 equalled that for the whole island in an entire year. 

According to the EU data, an average of 650 burglaries were recorded every year during the 10-year window. A major spike was noted in 2005, with 1,113 homes being burgled but the figures subsequently simmered down to about 600.

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