CrimeMalta Observatory annual crime review : year 2021

Abstract

2021 crime figures depict a return to the pre-Covid-19 figures, following an anomalous reduction in 2020 based on significant societal disruption. The year 2020 experienced minimal tourists visiting the Islands, the closure of recreational areas, diminishing crowds and the self-closure of citizens. Such resulted in a lesser number of crimes but also a reflection of how the national crime structure is depicted without the advent of tourism and in turn less chances for offenders to partake to. The year 2021 brought reality back but with a morphed crime structure that reflects changes in crime reporting and policing. Comparing 2021 with the last non-Covid-19 year 2019, the trend shows a plateauing of the crime structure, where reports pivot around the 16,000 mark, an increase of 1.3% over 2019, even if compared to 2020 the increase is that of 20.6%. The year-on-year decrease experienced since 2016 has settled to reflect gradual decreases where previously dominant offences (such as theft) are being operationally and tactically tackled whilst new transformative offences are proactively investigated such as money laundering and fraud. Again, the Maltese offence profile has maintained and refocused the past years’ shift from a public-oriented to a personal-target structure with an increasing focus on financial-related offences. For the first since 1998, the RISC model depicts a situation where there a no localities that exhibited more that 5 times the national rate, whilst only four localities Marsa, Floriana, Gudja and Valletta fall within the 2x to 5x category. This means that most localities now fall within the national rate and 17 localities fall within a slightly higher (1x to 2x) category, inclusive of the previously notorious San Giljan. This points towards a homogenisation of strategic, operational and tactical implementation to tackle crime. Community policing also served its purpose to morph this change. In terms of societal reaction, moral panic still played a part in rendering a perception that crime is increasing, often pushed by erroneous political rhetoric, when the facts depict a stabilised scenario.