University students call for a more effective police force and judicial system

University student organisations want an urgent discussion on the police and judicial system following the “grave miscarriages of justice” which happened in recent months.

“Paulina, Bernice, Pelin, Sion and countless others, have all fallen victim to a system that fails to protect and safeguard them,” 22 student organisations said in a joint statement. 

They said these “injustices” have shed a dark light on the safety of victims in this country,

“No one should be shot in broad daylight despite filing multiple reports, raped and murdered whilst on a walk, brutally run over whilst walking on her birthday or have their families wait 18 years for juries to commence,” the organisations said, while recalling the recent events.

These cases have alarmed and shaken the student body to its very core, KSU added, “leaving a generation of future professionals overwhelmed and frustrated at the system they must inherit and subsequently, strive to remedy.” 

KSU proposed debates on the state of policing and the judiciary, namely the need for more effective policing, the improvement and strengthening of domestic violence units, the critical need for more judges and magistrates, and efforts to reduce court delays.

They requested Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, and the police to explore these proposals, particularly from the perspective of students, through open discussions and engagement. 

“Such miscarriages have plagued victims’ protection for decades. Irrespective of political allegiance, the protection and dignity of human life should never be compromised. We will not be silent in the face of injustice.”