There were nearly 800 reports of fraud last year, according to the Annual Crime Report, an increase described as “massive” by criminologist Saviour Formosa.

The reports of fraud shot up to 787 in 2017, from 500 cases the previous year, Prof. Formosa, who was tasked with analysing the data, found.

He also believes that the perception of widespread corruption and bribery is quite high in Malta and has been on the rise for a number of years.

The report shows that overall there was a slight drop in crime reporting from the previous year, with 162 fewer reports (0.9 per cent) in 2017 than in 2016.

In all, 17,136 offences were referred to the police, with pickpocketing still the most common crime to be reported. 

However, the number of pickpocketing reports dropped, by 12 per cent, for the first time in nearly a decade. According to the data, there were 2,144 reports of pickpocketing, down from 2,447 the previous year.

The police have been struggling to control this type of theft for years, with localities such as St Julian’s, Paceville and Valletta becoming hotspots for organised gangs of pickpockets.

In October, a group of 13 young men and women, all from Bulgaria, were charged with a series of thefts. The group were also suspected of forming part of an organised crime ring with operations all over Europe.

Most other categories of theft have declined, Prof. Formosa said.

However, theft from beaches saw a 31 per cent increase following a dip the previous year. Theft comprises 48.2 per cent of all offences reported to the police, down from 51 per cent in 2016.

Seven per cent of last year’s reports involved domestic violence, surpassing bodily harm reports which went down to five per cent.

According to Prof. Formosa, this points to a steadily more tolerant and less violent society in the social realm, while in the private realm there has been a veritable increase in personal and intimate violence since 2007, equally split between psychological and slight bodily harm.

While St Julian’s still has the highest rate of reported crime, the number of reports there has gone down. This suggests that criminal activity is spreading to other areas instead, most notably Valletta as more people spend time in the capital.

The criminologist also expressed frustration at the perception that crime in Malta is on the rise, insisting that while any crime is one too many, people should at least look at the figures before making assumptions.

Asked by this newspaper why he thought such a perception existed and whether this might stem from a lack of trust in the police, Prof. Formosa said that while he was not an officer himself and could not speak on behalf of the force, he knew from experience that such a perception depended heavily on isolated incidents. After major incidents, people often thought the situation was worse than it actually was.  

Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia said during the unveiling of the figures that such reports were crucial as they allowed the police to better understand what they had to deal with and in turn do better work.

He added that in recent years, the number of police officers at certain hotspots, such as Paceville, had been boosted, in turn leading to a decrease in reports from 3,100 in 2012 to 1,800 reports in 2017.

The authorities, the minister went on, would now be looking at other areas that might require additional police presence to address the problems in a similar way.

On the slight drop in crime reports, the minister said that this should be taken in the context of a more “affluent” society and the increase in the number of tourists visiting Malta, adding that these factors tended to contribute to an increase in crime.  

Reported cases

Theft: 8,259
Damage: 3,769
Bodily harm: 879
Fraud: 787
Domestic violence: 1,257
Threats and public violence: 296
Sexual offences: 102
Violence against public officers: 238
Theft from residences: 592
Pretended rights: 142
Computer-related crime: 823

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