Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1053035
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 NOVEMBER 2018 MASSIMO COSTA CRIME levels in the Maltese is- lands have seen a considerable drop over the past two years, with a more than 18% reduction in reports of criminal activity in 2018 compared to 2016. Official government data shows that while 13,552 crimi- nal offences, ranging from fraud to homicide, were re- ported to the police in the 2016 review period, the number for 2018 stands at 11,082. In 2017, 12,974 crimes were reported; a decrease of almost 4.3% compared to the previ- ous year, while the reduction in the number of reports in 2018 compared to last year is of over 14%. The period covered by the statistics is January to Septem- ber for all three years. The most frequently reported crime in the past three years was theft, followed by criminal damage and domestic violence. The decline in theft offences is responsible for the bulk of the decrease in crime over the last three years. While 7,140 cases of theft were reported in 2016, there were 6,384 such reports in 2017, and 4,552 in 2018. This indicates that although Malta's population is increas- ing substantially – Eu- rostat figures show there were 460,000 people living in Malta at the start of 2017, increasing to 475,000 in 2018 – less theft is, in fact, taking place. Criminologist Saviour For- mosa said this reflects the fact that half of all reported crimes in Malta involve theft, most commonly pickpocketing. "Somehow, the fight against pickpocketing is working. Whether this is because of bet- ter enforcement or increased awareness still needs to be determined through studies, which take into account the trends over the years. But even I was surprised by the steep fall in reports. "Since the population is in- creasing by around 200,000 every summer, we would ex- pect the number of crimes during this time to increase by 1,500. But this is not happen- ing. People could be more aware of the risk of having things stolen from them. Anoth- er factor might be the greater visibil- ity of police officers on the ground and more CCTV systems." Moreover, it's also pos- sible that certain foreign pick- pocketing gangs didn't come to Malta this time round, For- mosa, who is also a government consultant, said. "Each crime involves an of- fender and a victim, the lat- ter of whom has a routine that ends up offering an opportunity to the criminal. In the case of theft, it seems the opportunities are decreasing." Double the reports of fraud Fraud is the one offence that experienced a massive leap in reports in 2018 compared to the previous two years. There were 390 reports of criminal fraudulent activity in 2016, but this more than dou- bled to 797 this year. In 2017, the number stood at 578. "Fraud is now in the top five crimes, and the trends over the years show a steady increase," Formosa said. He said a society becoming more affluent leads to there being more of an occasion of- fered to the criminal to defraud someone. "So it's not because more people are becoming defraud- ers, but because there are more openings for the crime to be committed," he said, "And more people are readily com- ing forward to report fraud, as well." Less marked fall in domestic violence Cases of bodily harm and do- mestic violence are down, but the difference is nowhere near as large as with theft. In 2018, 619 bodily harm cas- es were reported, 64 less than the 683 cases in both 2017 and 2016. The number of domestic vio- lence cases in 2017 increased to 968 compared with the 933 re- ported the year before, but has gone down to 906 in 2018. A bill against gender-based and domestic violence was drafted into law in April this year, with the government also embarking on a campaign to raise awareness about the issue. Amongst the changes brought about by the bill was an in- crease in the protection offered at law to victims. Prostitution cases plummet In 2016, 71 cases of prostitu- tion were reported, but this went down to 21 in 2017, and just two this year. The sharp drop comes at a time when lawmakers are planning to overhaul the law governing sex work. Last month, the government approved a proposal for the creation of an exit programme for prostitutes, aiming to offer professional help to sex work- ers to move away from the prostitution trade and traffick- ing gangs. The programme – which marks the first stage of a more comprehensive framework – was devised in cooperation with the Dar Hosea shelter, a voluntary organisation dealing specifically with cases of pros- titution. Almost no human trafficking reported There were only two cases of human trafficking reported in the period under review this year, and none in the same time frame in 2016 and 2017. In July, a United States De- partment of State report on Trafficking in Persons had said the Maltese government is not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, despite significant efforts. The slow pace of court pro- ceedings is one of the factors hampering prosecutions, which often rely on victims – many of whom are fearful of the traffick- ers – to provide testimony. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt NEWS 2016 2017 2018 Theft 7140 6384 4552 Damage 3067 2856 2689 Domestic violence 933 968 906 Fraud 390 578 797 Bodily harm 683 683 619 Attempted offences 327 399 362 Drugs 175 215 257 Threats and private violence 242 223 215 Computer misuse 145 129 163 Violence against a public officer 156 176 147 Pretended rights 0 96 119 Sexual offences 81 78 84 Crime rate 2016-2018 Heatmap shows clusters for pickpocketing in Malta, showing this crime happens mostly in tourist zones: the Gzira-Sliema-St Julian's area and Valletta, with other notable spots in Marsaxlokk, Gudja close to the airport, Mdina, Mosta, Bugibba, Mellieha and Cirkewwa. (CrimeMalta.com) CALL FOR TENDERS As part of the project 820451 – Prepare the Ground for Economic Independence –the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality is requesting submissions for the provision of: REFERENCE: DT-NCPE/03/2018 TENDER TITLE: Service Tender for the Provision of Development and Production of Audio- Visual Publicity Material for the project 'Prepare the Ground for Economic Independence' Any queries should be sent through e-PPS by not later than Monday, 3 rd December, 2018 at 4.00p.m. CET specifying the publication reference and the tender title. A clarification meeting will be held on Thursday, 22 nd November, 2018 at 10.00a.m. CET at NCPE premises. Closing date for submission of tenders is Monday, 10 th December, 2018 at 1.00p.m. CET. All submissions should be carried out on the e-PPS https://www.etenders.gov.mt/epps/home.do REFERENCE: DT-NCPE/04/2018 TENDER TITLE: Service Tender for the Provision of Design, Printing and Production of Project Publicity Material for the project 'Prepare the Ground for Economic Independence' Any queries should be sent through e-PPS by not later than Monday, 3 rd December, 2018 at 4.00p.m. CET specifying the publication reference and the tender title. A clarification meeting will be held on Thursday, 22 nd November, 2018 at 11.00a.m. CET at NCPE premises. Closing date for submission of tenders is Monday, 10 th December, 2018 at 2.00p.m. CET. All submissions should be carried out on the e-PPS https://www.etenders.gov.mt/epps/home.do NCPE, Gattard House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda ĦMR 9010 Tel: 2295 7850 E-mail: equality@gov.mt Web: www.equality.gov.mt Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020 Project part-financed by the European Union Co-financing rate: 80% EU funds; 20% National Funds Theft in decline, but more fraud reported as Maltese become 'richer' Statistics show 18% less crime reported in 2018 than 2016, with drop in theft constituting the bulk of this downturn