Police officers are being assaulted far less than they were seven years ago, according to data provided by the Police Force.

Reports of violence on officers plummeted by more than two thirds (67 per cent) thanks to investment in equipment and training, a police spokesperson told Times of Malta in the wake of last weekend’s horrific assault on two officers in Ħamrun.

“From 110 instances in 2017, this number dropped to 36 reports in 2023. As at September 23, 2024, we recorded 24 reported cases of violence against police,” he said.

Twenty-three males and five females have been charged in court in this regard. Proceedings against 17 of these cases are still ongoing, while the others were concluded, and the accused found guilty.

Violence against police refers to the incidents when police officers were physically assaulted during their line of duty, the police explained, and the dramatic decline in reports shows respect towards officers is on the rise.

“This demonstrates that only a small minority disrespects the police. We would like to express our gratitude to the public for their continued support and daily appreciation of our work,” he said.

Police sources said it is believed the decline was primarily driven by the introduction of body-worn cameras in 2021.

“People think twice before assaulting an officer now, because they know they’re being filmed,” one source said.

Times of Malta was handed the figures after an incident on Saturday evening in Ħamrun, when two police constables – Clive Mallia and Aidan Demicoli – were assaulted after issuing a parking ticket.

Bystanders filmed the assault on their phones and the footage quickly circulated on social media, sparking shock.

Earlier this week police said the two officers were equipped with pepper spray, taser, and batons and one of them also had a service firearm (Glock).

All officers undergo practical training covering safe weapon handling, control and restraint techniques, use of taser and pepper spray, and public order and crowd management, the police said.

All are equipped with handcuffs, pepper spray, a baton, a radio and as of recently, with body-worn cameras and an upgraded baton.

Four men and a woman were charged in court with last weekend’s crime. They all pleaded not guilty but were denied bail.

Since then, the Home Affairs Ministry confirmed the government is looking into toughening the law.

Sources close to government said this could possibly mean judges would be empowered to hand out heavier fines, longer prison sentences and even replace probation and suspended sentences with actual jail time in several cases of violence against public officials.

People found guilty of assaulting policemen are generally slapped with fines ranging between €3,000 and €20,000, and are sometimes handed suspended jail terms ranging between six months and four years, depending on the severity of the assault and whether they committed other crimes during the same incident.

Earlier this year a UK professional golfer was fined €4,000 and her friend was slapped with a €6,000 fine after the two admitted to assaulting and disobeying police at the airport while drunk.

And just this week a Spanish national was jailed for nine months after he went on a wrecking spree on a Paceville street, jumping on cars and injuring a policeman as he violently resisted arrest.

Lawyer and former MP Jason Azzopardi is among those who advocated for the law to be changed so that people who assault public officials must inevitably go to prison.