FIGURES TO PONDER: 2024-2025
WITH NOTES ON THE MAIN 2005-2025 OFFENCES (BI-DECADAL COMPARISON)
Figures to Ponder: 2024-2025
with Notes on the main 2005-2025 offences (Bi-decadal comparison
- Crimes that Increased: abandonment of child, abuse of public authority, bigamy, bodily harm, breach of bail conditions, crimes – religious sentiment, cruelty to animals, drugs, environmental crime, forgery, homicide, immigration, perjury and false swearing, pornography, pretended rights, prostitution, sexual offence, sports, threats and private violence, unauthorized access in restricted areas and violation of places of confinement.
o 2005-2025: abandonment of child, abortion, abuse of public authority, breach of bail conditions, computer misuse, crimes against public peace, cruelty to animals, domestic violence, drugs, environmental crime, forgery, fraud, gender based violence, money laundering, perjury and false swearing, pornography, pretended rights, sexual offence, threats and private violence, trafficking of persons, unauthorized acc in rest area and violence against public officer
- Crimes that Decreased: abortion, arson, attempted offences, computer misuse, crimes against public peace, damage, domestic violence, fraud, gender based violence, money laundering, theft, trafficking of persons and violence against a public officer.
o 2005-2025: abuses relating to prisons, against morals/honour - family, arson, attempted offences, bigamy, bodily harm, crimes against public peace, crimes against public safety, crimes vs admin of justice etc, damage, homicide, immigration, infanticide/abandon of child, prostitution, theft and violation of places of confinement
- Arson represented a particular crime that spreads the fear of crime to high levels. Hovering around 100 cases annually as recorded over the decades, 2025 registered 30 cases, the lowest reported figure since the introduction of PIRS in 1998. Also worth noting is the continued decline trend of arson reports from 143 reports in 1999 to 38 cases in 2024 to the major drop in 2025 with the five lowest years being the preceding four years under the current headship.
o 2005-2025: Decrease of 76% from 124 cases in 2005 to 30 in 2025
- Thefts, which have seen a massive decrease of 490 (15%) crimes in 2025 to total 4,428 cases. As pickpocketing decreased from 650 cases to 394, the figures are significantly lower than the peak 2,447 figure in 2016 and evidence that raising awareness and surveillance is a must for successful crime reduction and prevention. 15 categories of theft experienced no change, 21 a decline whilst 12 categories increased, mainly theft of vehicle and building sites.
o 2005-2025: Decrease of 61% from 11,398 cases in 2005 to 4,428 in 2025, a major drop of 6,970 offences
- Damages, at 2,927 cases in 2025, decreased by 4% decrease between 2024 and 2025 to 18.8% of all offences in 2025, up from 18.4% in 2024. The increase was due to the large drop in theft, which pushed the relative damage weighting upwards as against real incidents reported.
o 2005-2025: Decrease of 21% from 3,687 cases in 2005 to 2,927 in 2025
- Bodily Harm, at 996 cases in 2025, increased by 2%. The main increase was related to Slight Bodily Harm by physical force.
o 2005-2025: Decrease of 9% from 1,092 cases in 2005 to 996 in 2025
- Fraud has experienced a decrease of 487 cases (20%). The cases reached 1,907 cases in 2025 (12.2% of all crimes), down from 2,394 cases in 2024.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 965% from 179 cases in 2005 to 1,907 in 2025
- Computer related crime experienced a 33% decrease in 2024, totaling 328 cases down from 486 cases in 2024, mainly through Unauthorised Access.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 2,882% from 11 cases in 2005 to 328 in 2025
- Drugs increased by 151 cases (70%) in 2025, following a decrease in 2022 and 2023 and a slight increase between 2023 and 2024). The change over the recent years is principally the result of increased road checks and more targeted policing coupled with better capturing of reports by the Specialised Drugs Squad which traditionally might have not been entering the serious cases in the PIRS.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 225% from 113 cases in 2005 to 367 in 2025
- Domestic Violence decreased by 2%, (51 cases) from 2,225 cases in 2024 to 2,174 cases in 2025 (13.9% of all 2025 cases). Psychological Harm decreased by 100 cases (14% from 2024) and comprises 76% of all domestic violence cases. Note that the first full reporting year was in 2008 following the change in legislation in 2007.
o 2008-2025: Increase of 483% from 450 cases in 2008 to 2,174 in 2025
- Immigration experienced an increase of 70% in reporting (reporting 117 cases up from 69 in 2024). This is another offence that experienced a dual operational change: enhanced enforcement of immigration laws as well as steering away from the traditional practice that the Immigration Section did not record its operations in the PIRS. Thus, the increase reflects the result of better reports capturing exposing the full picture of actions taken by the police.
o 2005-2025: Decrease of 38% from 189 cases in 2005 to 117 in 2025
- Threats and Private Violence increased by 20% in 2025 to 482 cases, increasing mainly through blackmail and harassment.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 474% from 84 cases in 2005 to 482 in 2025
- Sexual Offences increased by 20% in 2025 to 196 cases increasing in defilement of minors, indecent exposure and violent indecent assault.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 176% from 71 cases in 2005 to 196 in 2025
- Violence against Public Officers decreased by 6% to 135 cases down from 143 in 2024, a steady year-on-year decrease since 2017. Whilst several factors could be at play, the introduction of body-worn cameras in the first half of 2021 is playing a critical role. Note the changes wrought to the law that further protects such officials, which should result in further decreases in reporting.
o 2005-2025: Increase of 44% from 94 cases in 2005 to 135 in 2025
- Theft from Occupied Residences reached 346 cases down (-4%) from 359 cases in 2024. Theft from the exterior increased by 16% whilst theft from vacant residences increased by 17%. In 2025, the Maltese Islands received 525 reports of thefts from residence (exterior, occupied or vacant). This figure represents less than half (47%) of the reports of theft from residences received in 2005 (1,113 cases).
o 2008-2025: Decrease of 39% from 565 cases in 2008 to 346 in 2025
- Pretended Rights which had been recorded as a separate category in 2017 registered a 2% increase in reports amounting to 425 cases in 2025 up from 346 cases in 2023. This offence has registered steady increases year on year.
o 2017-2025: Increase of 299% from 142 cases in 2017 to 425 in 2025
- Money Laundering as recorded for the first time as a distinct category in 2017, registered 47 cases resulting in a 22% decrease in 2025, down from 180 cases in 2021 and 60 cases in 2024. It is to be noted that the overall increase since the introduction in 2017 relates to the better capturing of reports by the Malta Police in the reporting system.
o 2017-2025: Increase of 276% from 17 cases in 2017 to 47 in 2025
- Gender-Based Violence which was introduced in 2020, when 2 cases were registered, whilst 0 cases were registered in 2025. 5 cases were registered during 2024.
o 2020-2025: Decrease of 100% from 2 cases in 2020 to 0 in 2025
- Cruelty to Animals was introduced as a new category in 2024, when 20 cases were registered. This category increased by 175% in 2025 to 55 cases up from 20 cases in 2024.
o 2024-2025: Increase of 175% from 20 cases in 2024 to 55 in 2025
- Environmental Crimes was introduced as a new category in 2024, when 174 cases were registered. This category increased by 47% in 2025 to 255 cases up from 174 cases in 2024.
o 2024-2025: Increase of 47% from 174 cases in 2024 to 255 in 2025
- Sports was introduced as a new category in 2025, when 1 case was registered under the sub-category Sports Manipulation.
Total change in Reported Main Offences 2005 – 2025
(Blue = increase, red = decrease)
Annual change in Reported Main Offences by Year 2005 - 2025
