Doctors and medical staff at Mater Dei Hospital are increasingly reluctant to use the underground car park following a spate of vandalism on their vehicles.
Hospital CEO Joe Caruana told Times of Malta yesterday that the police were investigating after six vehicles parked at level-1 had their quarter windows smashed in the early hours of Saturday. No valuable items were reported stolen.
Mr Caruana said they were taking the incidents very seriously, adding that such criminal acts were unprecedented on the hospital precincts.
We have decided to act immediately and call the police
“As a result, we have decided to act immediately and call the police,” he said.
Asked about the security measures in place, he said it would be impossible to monitor each and every corner of the underground car park.
He noted that motorists were fully aware that management could not be held liable for any damage to the cars or loss of items.
Though security cameras were installed at the entrance and exit of the car park, this was of little help to the police because the footage available does not indicate any sus-picious movements.
Mr Caruana said management would be willing to beef up the CCTV system if this would be of any help in future. He pointed out that similar incidents were reported in nearby San Ġwann on the same night and could be linked.
The soft top of a BMW Series 1 was ripped apart causing more than €1,500 in damages when it was parked in level-1 on February 17. Its owner, Mark Grech, a medical doctor, said the incident happened some time between 7pm and 8pm.
Surprisingly, he noted, his wallet, which was clearly visible from the outside, was not stolen.
This fuelled suspicions that the perpetrators were trying to get hold of green prescriptions, which can be used to purchase psychotropic substances and narcotic drugs over the counter. Of course, a signature would still be required.
Last October, a doctor found a bag missing when the quarter window of his vehicle was smashed.
Questions sent by this newspaper to the police were not answered by the time of going to print.