CrimeMalta observatory annual crime review : year 2023

Abstract

A Year of Fraudulent Gains, Domestic Violence Psychological Harm and Computer Crime through Unauthorised Access: a year highlighting the need for Awareness. Reported crimes in the Maltese Islands registered 16,855 crimes in 2023 against a population of 542,051 persons, increasing by 13% over the year 2022. As the post-Covid socio-economic activities return to normal, with increasing tourists and residents, the Maltese crime scene has not evidenced increases in the physical and social-landscape locations but has taken on a virtual targeting characterised by online crime, fraud through digital means and the personal landscape characterised by psychological harm experienced in domestic violence cases, albeit the latter’s physical harm component has experienced a decline. In terms of crimes per 1000 persons, the total crime figures render the Islands very safe where crimes declined from 45 crimes per 1000 persons in 2004 to 41 in 2013 to 31 in 2023, a slight increase from 2022 that registered the lowest rate on record. As the population increased, the expected crime rates based on the 2004 and 2013 data were those of 24,392 and 22,394 respectively, the reported figure of 16,855 crimes is lower than forecasted. As per previous years, homicides were solved in rapid turnarounds, such that all homicides that occurred from 2018 to 2023 were all solved within a few days. This category has dipped to a record low of 0.4 per 100,000 persons in 2022 from one of 1.7 for 2004, 2012 and 2022. Violent crimes in 2023 increased slightly. Theft has decreased in most categories except for tourism-related activities and an upsurge in pickpocketing from 250 cases in 2022 to 405 in 2023, again an instance requiring awareness and preparedness by potential victims who need to pose lesser opportunities for offenders to strike. As in previous years since 2007, domestic violence figures keep increasing year on year, reaching 2071 reports, which are mainly due to psychological harm reports as most other sub-categories decreased. Increases were registered in bodily harm, breach of bail, computer-related crime, forgery, fraud, pretended rights, sexual offences and trafficking of persons. The RISC model depicts a situation where no localities exhibited more than 5 times the national rate, whilst only five localities, Mdina, San Giljan, Floriana, Valletta and Marsa 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, decreasing from 20 in the previous year.