Security around St Luke’s Hospital in Pietà has been stepped up following a series of thefts from parked vehicles.

St Luke’s employees who spoke with this newspaper but preferred to remain anonymous said that in recent days there had been at least five thefts.

“Such incidents happened in broad daylight, and apart from the stolen belongings, which ranged from wallets to a GPS device, the vehicles targeted were also damaged during the thefts,” they said.

“The incidents happened at various locations around the hospital, and in most cases, the vehicles were broken into by breaking the wind deflectors and forcing the side windows down.

The police were handed footage from the hospital security cameras, which captured one of the thefts

“But others suffered more serious damage to their cars, as thieves simply forced open the door using a metal lever.”

Contacted by the Times of Malta, a spokeswoman for Vitals Global Healthcare, which has taken over St Luke’s Hospital under a 30-year concession with the government, confirmed they were looking into the matter.

She noted that security around the premises has been increased and patrols were being carried out every hour.

Moreover, the spokeswoman confirmed that the police had been handed footage from the hospital security cameras, which captured one of the thefts.

“This evidence has enabled the investigators to identify one of the suspects, and from our part we will pass on every other piece of information which may be of help to them,” she added.

While they appreciated the efforts being made by the hospital management to address this issue, the members of staff who spoke with this newspaper said that the spate of thefts had continued unabated, even when surveillance was added.

“Doing hourly patrols is not enough, as the problem needs to be addressed by limiting access to the premises to staff and relatives of patients at St Luke’s Karin Grech only,” they pointed out.

They added that seeking compensation through insurance was not always the best option, as the fee to open a claim would be equivalent, and sometimes more than, the losses suffered.