Lack of police 'boosting crime'

The lack of police presence in the streets is boosting criminality, according to Labour Party spokesman on justice Gavin Gulia.

There was no indication that the government was managing to fight the rampant number of thefts and hold-ups, he said.

Dr Gulia said in a statement that while the government was giving the impression that peace and good order were guaranteed, facts were showing otherwise.

The government did not have any plan to address the problem of criminality, and the security forces seemed weak and vulnerable. He attributed this to disorganisation in the deployment of police officers and the fact that a number of police stations were kept closed for long periods of time, or only manned by a minimum number of staff.

The government had voted Lm153,000 less for overtime for next year, which meant that the quality of service would decline at a time when it needed to be bolstered, he added.