Residents of Sliema seem resigned to wait out the latest spate of local burglaries, as they do not have much faith in the way police are dealing with the situation.
According to police sources, thieves using sophisticated tools such as ‘bump keys’ have burgled more than 15 residences since the beginning of August, targeting apartments and taking cash, jewellery and electronic equipment.
The police have suggested that residents not leave their homes unattended during the evening and should consider installing alarms or surveillance systems.
But locals feel this isn’t enough.
“It is very alarming,” said resident and shop owner Anthony Friggieri. “We can never say that it is 100 per cent safe. Something has got to be done. You can’t even leave your home.”
Numerous house owners and residents said a greater police presence was needed in the area, especially as burglaries are a recurring situation in Sliema.
We can never say that it is100 per cent safe.Something has got to be done
A similar series of thefts took place last summer in Sliema and St Julian’s, with professional thieves breaking in through main doors that were also equipped with multi-lock systems.
“I would be delighted to have a neighbourhood watch, but plainclothes police should also be patrolling the area at night,” said Frida Bugeja, a Sliema resident, adding that uniformed police would just lead to the thefts moving to a different area.
Other locals were sceptical of the neighbourhood watch idea, saying there would not be enough volunteers especially since a lot of elderly live in the town.
Several residents and shop owners said they were unhappy with the amount of time it took for police to follow up on emergency calls. They said there was no point in calling the police if by the time they got to the scene the burglars would have already made their escape.
One resident complained an alarm that went off at a neighbour’s house late at night over the weekend rang until the next morning.
Residents also noted that, as the area generally had many foreign travellers and students moving in and out, long-term residents often did not know their neighbours, making it difficult to identify suspicious people.