The dark figure of crime - crime victimisation survey 2025 (TheDark2025)

Abstract

Malta is highly efficient in the reporting of crime with consistent reporting since 1998 and earlier through systems known as PIRS and subsequently NPS. However, formal reporting has a dark side where victims might be either afraid to report as constrained by familial, situational and safety-security parameters. The dark figure of crime can be cause for concern considering that these types of crime are the ones victims would be expected to report, especially where repeat victimisation is concerned. Thus the need for such surveys, whose aims are twofold. Primarily it is to have comparable international crime data, however another objective is to be able to compare official police data with the data that the crime victimization survey finds. This is a way of discovering the dark figure of crime.