Police officers, including plain clothes policemen, have been stopping people who they think may be migrants and asking them to show their residence documents. Those stopped appear to have had two common features. They were black and they happened to be in Marsa.
In one incident, those stopped included a black British national who, despite providing valid documents, was quizzed about whether he had migrated to Malta from Italy. In another instance, while a Times of Malta journalist was not asked to produce documentation, a passing black pedestrian next to her was invited to show his residence card.
Some weeks ago, the Prime Minister asked the Home Affairs Minister and the Police Commissioner to step up patrols in Marsa after residents complained of lax public order. The recent reports of black people being stopped and asked to prove their residence qualification may have been a response to the Prime Minister’s concerns about unruly behaviour in the area.
Regrettably, sources within the migrant community have expressed concerns that the grounds for such checks amounted to racial profiling. The police force has been quick to reject such an interpretation of what has been happening. A spokeswoman said: “The legal obligation and duty to check on possible migrants staying irregularly [in Malta] requires that these checks be concentrated in areas identified as being frequented by such persons. No particular race or nationality was ever targeted during these checks.”
Further elaborating on police policy, the spokeswoman said checking documents to establish whether people were in the country legally was a “daily duty”, which was carried out all over Malta especially in areas known to be visited or inhabited by third-country (ie non-EU) nationals. Any migrants without documents were detained until the documents were found, or the required checks to establish their right to be in Malta were established. Clearly, none of this amounts to racial profiling and is a normal part of police duties.
Given Malta’s geographical location at the southern tip of the European Union and at the centre of a turbulent sea through which undocumented migrants escaping persecution - or simply seeking a better economic future - travel, it is incumbent on the Maltese authorities to ensure that those living here have entered legally and have the residential permits to prove it. In an open society like Malta’s, which is as vulnerable to terrorist attack as any other in Europe, it is right that the authorities should take the steps necessary to ensure the security and safety of those living here.
It is vital, however, that the police should exercise a light touch and that there should be no prejudice or discrimination on grounds of race, colour or religion. The police have an important and sensitive job to conduct and it must be left to do so. There are no grounds for supposing that any such discrimination has occurred.
The integration of foreigners begins at community level. While the government is not trying to escape the reality of tensions that may exist between migrants and the local community, residents must not allow far-right groups to seek to exacerbate such sentiments.
The latter is a suggestion which leader of the Opposition, Adrian Delia, should take to heart. Pandering to extremists in our society is not the way forward.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial