Almost 1,500 victims of crime were offered support by the police victim support unit – a minimum of one a day – since it was set up three years ago, according to its head, police inspector Sylvana Gafà.
In 2019, the unit assisted 465 victims and 545 the year before, compared to 419 in the year the unit was set up.
The majority of those who seek help are women, mostly victims of domestic violence, elderly people who experienced theft or abuse and victims of sexual abuse, including minors, Gafà said.
Recent research, carried out by Outlook Co-Op on behalf of YMCA Valletta, revealed stories of the apathetic or insensitive approach victims of domestic violence were faced with when dealing with the police.
Gafà said the police had to deal with all kinds of situations and officers were being trained to deal with domestic violence and other sensitive cases.
During in-service training, officers said they needed to be better trained in sensitive cases, which included breaking bad news to victims.
“There have been cases when the victim comes to us and says they went to file a report but the police officer ignored them.
“Then we check and find a detailed report,” she said, adding it could boil down to a lack of sensitivity in dealing with the case but officers were not ignoring victims.
During training, officers also spoke about the increasing workload of domestic violence cases and the need for better training. For this reason, the force is in the process of setting up a specialised domestic violence unit, manned by trained officers, within the vice squad. This should be in place by the end of the year.
Gafà spoke about the case of one woman who had been in an abusive relationship for years and found it difficult to leave despite filing several reports.
The unit supported the woman, offering emotional support and practical guidance, including information about housing, and she was now separated and independent.
The unit has three staff members that include Gafà, a trained counsellor, a police constable who handles the administrative work and a youth worker. It is in the process of recruiting another two members.
The unit provides a single point of contact for victims of crime, crisis counselling, guidance about other support services, training to police officers, helps victims keep up with the progress of their case and ensures they know their rights.
In extreme cases, it also accompanies victims in court when they are too scared to face the offender alone.
Gafà explained that whenever there was a serious case, such as the recent collapse of the Ħamrun building on March 2, when mother and wife Miriam Pace, 54, was killed inside her own home, the unit was informed and went on the scene.
In other cases, the police officer taking the report informed victims about the unit and handed them contact details. Every day, members of the unit went through the new reports and reached out to any victims who they felt might need support.
The victim support unit can be reached on 2294 2160 or via victimsupport.police@gov.mt.