Incidents of domestic violence 'up tenfold since 2007'

Reports of domestic violence have increased tenfold between 2007 and 2014, while threats and public violence have “practically tripled” since 2008, according to a report released by CrimeMalta this morning.

The report, compiled by Dr. Saviour Formosa also lists declining numbers of thefts, fraud and violence against public officers in the past year. Forgery, computer misuse, drugs and sexual offences have also declined, whilst pornography, bodily harm and prostitution have experienced “slight increases.”

Speaking at the publication of the report, Commissioner of Police Michael Cassar praised the “giant steps” in information collection, helped by the Department of Criminology at the University of Malta. Cassar said that gone were the days of the policeman only using pen and paper, explaining that the role of police has become much more intelligence-based.

Intelligence-gathering procedures are being updated and part of the process involves interaction with victims, suspects and witnesses, said the Commissioner. “We will not remain passive.” 

The author of the report, Dr. Saviour Formosa, stressed that it was not enough to look at the numbers, but one had to find the reasons behind them through analysis. 
“Knowledge should not remain in academia but be ported to real life.  People will be practically living online within three years. The police must also be online,” said Formosa, predicting the use of so called “big data” gathered from mobile phones as part of the data set. He called for a strengthening of the statistics processing unit, but added that the raw data must be reliable.

In his address, Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Carmelo Abela thanked the police for their work and efforts at evolution, saying that the Police Force itself must be proactive and not reactive in the face of new challenges. Abela told those present that the next step is to go from information gathering to action and anticipate crime and pointed out that the government is “actively working to assist victims of crime with its draft Victims of Crime Bill.”

He said a consultation process with police is underway to identify the strategic changes necessary. “Every policeman has a part to play in this process,” said Abela.