Convicted rapists are as likely to be Maltese as they are foreign, police figures for the past eight years show.

The breakdown of convictions seen by this newspaper shows that 56 people have been convicted of rape since 2008 and half were Maltese – debunking the social media myth that foreigners were behind a recent spike in reports.

Roberta Lepre, pictured above, says a specific clinic dealing with rape victims should be set up.

The Times of Malta last month reported how the number of rape cases investigated by the police in 2015 was the highest since data started being recorded in 2008.

Police statistics showed that 23 rape cases were reported last year, more than double the number recorded in 2014.

The report prompted a series of comments on social media alleging increased migration to Malta, as well as multiculturalism, may have been behind the jump.

Experts, however, believe the spike was most likely to have been aided by a heightened awareness of what constitutes rape and victims’ rights. Forensic psychologist Kevin Sammut Henwood thinks the increased awareness may be helped by an improved investigative process, prosecution and conviction of the offender.

It was not clear whether the convicted foreigners were living in Malta or visiting, but an overall view of rape cases shows that in a large number, victims knew their attacker.

A closer look at the number of convictions shows that the third and fourth quarters of the year had the highest rape conviction rate, with 16 in each of the quarters since 2008. This tallies with an overall increase in crime during the warmer months.

The number of cases in the first and second quarters, however, were not all that far behind, with 12 convictions each in the past eight years. August saw the most rape convictions overall, with eight cases. February had the least with no convictions since 2008.

Prior to 2008, the police used a different incident reporting system which grouped together all sexual offences, including violent indecent assault, indecent exposure and defilement of minors.

Victim Support Malta director Roberta Lepre said last month that, while awareness and information gathering had improved, much still remained to be done.

In particular, there was an urgent need for a private clinic space where rape victims could be seen, she stressed. The doctor who carried out the medical examination should be the one who made the forensic test, and rape victims should not have to wait for doctors to finish with other gynaecology emergencies. It should be an entirely separate service, Dr Lepre insisted.

Lawyers contacted by this newspaper also pointed out there was need for an improvement in the judicial system.