A public call for works on the Msida Creek Project will be launched in a few months' time, Prime Minister Robert Abela promised on Sunday, telling supporters at the locality's Labour Party club that the place would be unrecognizable in two years' time. 

Abela was replying to questions by ONE News editor Sandro Mangion at a question and answer session. 

Last November, Infrastructure Malta published new plans for the project, which will feature a 2,200 square metre piazza in front of the parvis of St Joseph parish church, a 300-metre canal to address flooding issues and a flyover to ease traffic congestion.

“What I can say is that in a couple of years’ time, let us meet here once again and we will not even recognise the place,” Abela said. 

Low crime rate is positive, but not enough 

Asked for his reaction to the findings of a recent survey showing that the crime rate was down, Abela welcomed the results but said more must be done to prevent crime.

The figures published in the CrimeMalta Observatory Annual Crime Review showed that Malta registered the lowest crime rate in more than 15 years last year. 

Police saw a significant drop in the total number of reported crimes year-on-year, with  5.4 per cent fewer reports filed than in 2021.

“You might ask me, once we have such positive statistics, whether we should relax and take it easy? My reply would be absolutely not. I do not believe we should rest on our laurels as behind every criminal act there is a victim,” he said.

Preventing crime was not only up to the police, he added. “We too play a role as individuals."  

Victims of crime suffering double injustice at the courts

Abela also warned that a victim of crime should not become a victim once again through the judicial process. 

“This is a reality we have seen happen before. A victim of a crime feels like a victim once more on going through the  investigation and judicial process instead of getting justice.”

He also called for justice to be delivered in a more timely manner.  Delays were unacceptable because they are another form of injustice,” he said. 

Improvement in apprenticeship students' pay

During the interview, Abela also announced that students following an apprenticeship will start to be paid an hourly rate equivalent to the minimum wage for the time spent during their apprenticeship work. 

The prime minister replying to questions.

The decision had been taken as part of efforts by the government to address  concerns about a lack of human resources in various industries, he said. 

He said students taking post-secondary courses that include around 600 hours of apprenticeship work will no longer get a reduced stipend but will receive their full stipend and grant, and the apprenticeship hours will be paid at the minimum wage. 

“Around 1,000 students will benefit from this scheme, and we will ensure that such a promise will not only provide more opportunities for our youths but also improve their quality of life,” Abela said. 

Abela also spoke about the European Council meeting which he attended in Brussels last  week. 

He expressed concern that a year into the war in Ukraine, there was "no end in sight".