CrimeMalta Observatory

The CrimeMalta Observatory has been set up specifically to create a medium for crime-related information and to serve as a Maltese focal point for the reduction of crime and spreading awareness on safety. Based on research initiated in 1997, the project that developed into CrimeMalta has striven to prepare the base structures for understanding crime in the Maltese Islands, employing high-end technologies, as based on spatio-temporal approaches.

 

CrimeMalta managed to create the social and spatial datasets that helped develop the use of GIS in the field of crime, which has yet to be taken up at national level. The CRISOLA and RISC Models were developed by Professor Saviour Formosa as part of his PhD research.

 

 

The Authors

Prof. Saviour Formosa

Prof. Saviour Formosa is a Full Professor within the Department of Criminology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta. He has a Ph.D. in spatio-temporal environmental criminology, an MSc in GIS, and a BA(Hons) in Sociology. His main area of research is the spatio-temporal analysis of social and physical relationships using spatial information systems and how it pushes the boundaries in the reconstruction of environmental scenarios, inclusive of crime scene reconstruction. His expertise lies in the implementation of developmental cross-thematic approaches and uses of the data cycle and management with an emphasis on thematic and spatial data structures, visualization, modeling, immersions, web-mapping, analysis, dataflow management, and reporting. He is a Member of the Applied Criminology Centre at the University of Huddersfield and a Fellow at Bournemouth University. Prof. Formosa developed the CrimeMalta Observatory website, which covers ongoing crime-related research and statistics in Malta. His other main development is the Cloudisle website, which depicts 3D, LiDAR, and Immersion projects. Professor Formosa publishes extensively, with over 330 publications. Profile: https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/saviourformosa

Dr. Formosa Pace

Dr. Formosa Pace is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Criminology at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing. Her main areas of interest are the psychological approaches to understanding crime, the role of psychology in criminal investigation, and courtroom interactions. Dr. Formosa Pace earned her Ph.D. at the University of Huddersfield, graduating in 2015, specializing in the incidence of crime transference across generations. Her main area of research focuses on the transmission of crime across generations, with an emphasis on the period between 1950 and 2010 in the Maltese Islands. Her expertise lies in the development of routes for deviant children. Dr. Formosa Pace is a Member of the Malta Criminology Association and provides expertise for the CrimeMalta Observatory website. Dr. Formosa Pace holds a Degree in Psychology at the undergraduate level, followed by a Post-Qualification Diploma in Probation Services, which laid the foundation for her specialization. She also earned an MSc in Forensic & Legal Psychology, bridging her psychology degree and probation studies. Her MSc dissertation, presented in the UK, focused on the risk factors that lead temporary Maltese offenders to become persistent life-course offenders as adults. The expertise acquired during this specialization served as a catalyst for her enrollment in a Ph.D. program. The primary aim of her Ph.D. research was to understand the concentration of offending in Maltese families and analyze the evolution of crimes across generations. Dr. Formosa Pace publishes extensively, with over 100 publications. Profile: https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/janiceformosapace

Both academics are involved in various research projects, having acquired and aided entities to acquire over EUR80 million in research and operational projects.

 

Acknowledgements

The concept of crime mapping though relatively new has been integrated within policy making and the formulation of various cross-thematic strategies related to the reduction of crime.

Acknowledgements are due to the Malta Police Force, the University of malta, the Planning Authority and may enforcement-related entities..

The Next Years: Spatial Data Integration Project

An idea that started off in 1995 and which required a mentality shift to ensure readiness in data and information sharing, the abolition of data hoarding and the creation of collaborative protocols that ensure a gather-one/use-many scenario within a spatial construct, is coming to fruition.