Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522096
9 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JUNE 2024 particular group responsible for a string of thefts in Sliema. "They target certain places where they know they can find stuff. They tend to target flats and will go there when people are at work. They will go into an apartment block and target several flats be- cause they know most people will be at work during the day. They al- so know that the economy dictates that, generally, both the man and woman work nowadays, so many residences will be unattended." Borg pointed out that criminal groups don't tend to target specific demographics, and are more con- cerned with valuables. "The most common, achievable and easy-to- transit valuables are cash and jew- elry. So they will target areas where there is opportunity to do this, like urban areas, rather than seeking out a specific demographic." However, Borg pointed out that demographics come into play when it comes to online fraud committed by these criminal groups. "The elderly might not be as well-versed on social media and IT, and so might be targeted more because they are more vulnerable. In this case, demographic can be a factor. But when it comes to prop- erty theft this is not the case." Laundering cash Advancements in technology have provided opportunities to criminal organisations in several ways. One such way is in launder- ing the proceeds of crime. Borg said todays advancements make it possible for criminal groups to launder their money anywhere in the world. "If I am in an EU Member State with a robust legal framework with intelligence and law enforcement working well, is it worth remaining here or transiting the money through third countries?" Bondin added that bitcoins have also changed the criminal game. "Nowadays you can be paid through bitcoin and you can laun- der the money in this way," he said. Researching crime: Malta's advantage A Europol report published last month revealed that Italian ma- fia-style and Georgian homoge- nous criminal networks are some of the most dangerous crime groups with a presence in Malta. The findings were part of a com- prehensive analysis on the growing presence of international criminal networks in the European Union. "Malta was one of the coun- tries that contributed the most to that study," Borg said. "We need to consider that larger countries might not have given as big a con- tribution as others. But just be- cause Malta reached its obligations and reported in full, while another country couldn't for other reasons, it doesn't mean that there should be more concern." Having a single police force also helps with this, Bondin said. "It's easy for us to collect the data re- quested by Europol. But bigger countries that split into various entities and agencies struggle to collect that data properly." This streamlined approach can sometimes make Malta appear more crime-ridden on paper com- pared to countries with fragment- ed reporting systems. However, this does not necessarily reflect reality. Catching up with organised crime Criminal groups are always going to be steps ahead of law enforce- ment, Borg said. And the mo- dus operandi of these groups has changed considerably in recent years. "In COVID-19 their operations went indoors. And we can't forget contemporary digital communica- tions, which are mostly encrypted. This makes things safer for their operations. Travel has also be- come easier – nowadays you can book a flight for €10. These are all things to help organised crime groups and criminal networks to commit their crimes." Bondin acknowledged that Mal- ta's legal framework for tackling organised crime has improved but still lags behind countries like Italy and the UK, which have long-standing, specialised laws to combat such activities. "We don't have the structured legal framework that other coun- tries have. There have been im- provements, but I think we can do better to fight organised crime at a national level," he said. Ultimately, both officers stressed the importance of international cooperation in combating organ- ised crime. "It takes an organised network to defeat another organ- ised network," Borg said. "If we work in silos, this becomes an ad- vantage to criminals." logistics base for organised crime groups' From Ecuador with love: Cocaine that was transiting through Malta on its way to Georgia in 2020 (Photo: Malta Customs) It's not just drugs: Malta's attractiveness to tourists makes it a target for organised crime groups, particularly those focusing on theft and scams (File photo)