An elderly lady, aged 87, was mugged on a Sliema road in mid-May. She and her 91-year-old husband were not walking alone, nor were they wearing flashy jewellery. Suddenly, a man approached them, ripped a pearl necklace off the woman’s neck and punched her husband with such force he knocked him off the pavement. It was still light outside when the assailant struck.

Understandably, this plucky couple - who have not hesitated in drawing attention to their concerns for the safety of elderly people - are now careful about going out of their house, tending to restrict this to a short while only in the morning. They are also acutely conscious that there have been several other similar incidents of muggings and burglaries of elderly people’s homes in Sliema.

Other affluent middle-class areas close by, such as St Julian’s, San Ġwann and Swieqi, have also been hit by similar crimes against elderly people. Sliema has probably the largest proportion of elderly people in Malta. As a generalisation, burglars – and muggers - are attracted to localities where they think they can prey on rich, elderly, vulnerable people. Crime statistics tend to show a regular trend of high thefts or burglaries there (as well as in neighbouring St Julian’s), though the Home Affairs Minister says the number of thefts in Sliema dropped when compared to 2012.

Burglaries in Sliema have naturally left the elderly extremely worried about the security of their homes. They are concerned about the inadequate level of police response. Although some four years ago when similar concerns had arisen, the police and the local council had moved quickly to try to allay concerns, the problem and the apparent threat to elderly people has not gone away, as the assault on an elderly woman and her husband attest.

There is a clear need for police patrols in Sliema and other vulnerable areas elsewhere to be strengthened. The presence of frequent police mobile patrols and, most importantly, the physical presence of policemen on the beat, should be introduced immediately as a tangible confidence-building measure for vulnerable elderly people. There is a duty of care, and respect, for the elderly the police and the local council must fulfil.

There are also practical steps that should be taken by residents themselves to deter potential thieves by making it more difficult to gain access to their homes. Elderly residents should not leave their homes unattended during the evening hours and should consider installing burglar alarms or surveillance systems. Individual house-holders have a responsibility to try to prevent crimes, which are often opportunist and happen because house-holders have not taken the necessary precautions.

While Malta is still a place where the incidence of serious crime is rather low, the situation is becoming increasingly worrying. Sliema, St Julian’s and nearby neighbourhoods present problems that need to be tackled by a combination of proactive police action and raising of individual citizens’ awareness.

The police have the paramount responsibility to help make citizens feel secure and to respond quickly to citizens’ concerns when problems arise. The daylight assault on the vulnerable elderly couple mentioned above has drawn stark attention to the need for people to be vigilant and for the forces of law and order to act with much greater resolve to allay genuine concerns.

This is a Times of Malta print editorial