8,821 reported robberies in Malta last year

Police received 8,821 reports of theft last year, a four-year high, information tabled in Parliament shows.

The data, tabled by home affairs minister Carmelo Abela in response to a parliamentary question by PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami, shows that pickpocketing cases have continued to spike in recent years. Indeed, 2,447 such cases were reported to the police in 2016, compared to 2,030 in 2016, 1,538 in 2014 and 1,469 in 2013.

There were also 1,504 reports of thefts from vehicles, 718 reports of thefts from bars and restaurants, and 420 reports of robberies from streets and public areas.

There were also 182 shop-lifting cases, 552 break-ins into residences, 86 robberies from vacant properties, 179 snatch-and-grab cases, and 55 mugging incidents.