Suspended sentences handed to foreign pickpockets were not deterring others from flying to Malta to prey on people, a police inspector complained in court yesterday.
Speaking just before a 34-year-old Bulgarian woman was sentenced to 16 months in jail after admitting to stealing a man’s wallet, Police Inspector Lara Butters said foreigners were coming to Malta with the express purpose of stealing.
“They do not even bring any luggage with them. They stay here till they get caught, they get a suspended sentence and then go back to their country,” the officer said.
They do not even bring any luggage with them. They stay here till they get caught, they get a suspended sentence and then go back to their country
She argued that such pickpockets had to be jailed to discourage others from travelling to Malta for the purpose. “They should realise that Malta is not a country that tolerates such things,” she said.
Legal aid lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar rebutted the argument saying the woman should not be made to pay for all the other pickpocketing cases. “The court should just look at this one individual case,” he said.
Saying that a suspended sentence was not sufficient deterrent would be a vote of no confidence in such type of punishment, Dr Mifsud Cutajar continued.
He said the pregnant woman was caught in abject poverty and was not seeking personal enrichment. “She got caught up in the circumstances”, Dr Mifsud Cutajar said.
The woman broke down in tears when she was informed through a translator the punishment handed down by Magistrate Doreen Clarke.
In 2015, a total of 2,030 pickpocketing cases were reported in Malta and Gozo. The first five months of this year continued to register a growing trend of pickpocketing reports, amounting to 776.
The higher number of pickpocketing cases has been attributed by the police to the increased operations of organised gangs from Eastern European countries.
Earlier this month, the police published an information video advising people how to avoid falling victim to pickpockets.
The police warned that handbags and purses should always be closed and carried in front where they are visible.
Individuals were told to be more vigilant of their belongings when in a crowd. The police said keeping valuable items, particularly mobile phones, in a bag is not recommended.
“In the majority of cases we encounter, the second most stolen item to money is mobile phones since the value of a phone has increased sharply in the past years. Generally, robbers steal bags and immediately throw them away, keeping valuables and shortly after remove phone SIM cards in order not to be traced,” the police said.