The police have experienced a spike in harassment reports days after Nicolette Ghirxi was stabbed to death by her ex-partner, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said.

Ghirxi was murdered by Edward Johnston on Sunday night. Hours later, Johnston was shot dead by police officers in St Julian’s after he brandished a weapon which turned out to be a replica gun.

“The two days following this murder, the reports exploded again. We expected it. As this is what happens, such cases motivate people to act.”

Gafà was speaking to Times of Malta during an interview held at the Domestic Violence Hub in Santa Luċija on Friday. Superintendent Johann Joseph Fenech from the Domestic Violence Unit and Rachel Farrugia, a risk assessor with Aġenzija Appoġġ, were present during the interview.

At the time of the interview, the official statistics of how many harassment reports were filed this week were unavailable.

“No one takes pleasure in such cases (murder of Nicolette) and unfortunately to bring the number to zero would be  utopian. I know no country that has done so, but  we doing everything possible to prevent other similar cases,” Gafà said.

“I believe that over the years, we have prevented other cases, and it is difficult to provide numbers, as it is hard to quantify preventions.”

Ghirxi had filed harassment reports – in April and May – but turned down the offer to undergo a risk assessment as she did not feel her life was at risk at that moment in time. On Thursday of last week, four days before her murder, she informed the police that Johnston was in Malta.

Women’s rights experts have said Ghirxi’s femicide is a “wake-up call” about underestimating the risks and dangers victims face. They called for improved risk assessment training and for the reporting system to be more sensitive to the realities of women who feel harassed or threatened.

While Gafà said the police are always open to recommendations, he said the fact the number of domestic violence reports continue to increase is a sign there is more awareness in society.

Such cases motivate people to act

According to police figures, in the first seven months of the year, the Domestic Violence Unit received 1,264 reports. The unit received 1,979 reports in 2023 and 1,753 reports in 2022.

Gafà praised the increase, attributing it to a shift in the way society discusses the sensitive topic and also reflects an improvement in police services.

“Before, there was an attitude where people did not bother to file a police report if they were facing domestic violence,” he said.

“Now, we are more sensitive towards it, and it is one of our main priorities.”

He said training on how to interact with victims is not only provided to members of the Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit but all members of the police force.

“It is easy to point the finger at the police, but does anyone ask how many lives we save?” Gafà asked.

“Imagine we did not experience this increase in reports. Unfortunately, there is a 99 per cent chance that Ghirxi would not have filed a police report if there was not this shift in the services we provide and no rise in awareness.”

When a victim wants to file a domestic violence report at the hub, they are offered a risk assessment, carried out by professionals from Aġenzija Appoġġ.

The risk assessment determines the level of risk – low, medium or high.

Fenech explained that while offering a risk assessment is mandatory, the victim has the right to refuse to undergo a risk assessment.

He explained if a victim goes to file a report and finds several other individuals waiting, a preliminary risk assessment is carried out by a police officer to assess the severity of each case and to prioritise accordingly.

The questions include whether the victim was physically assaulted, if the alleged aggressor is under the influence of alcohol or substances, or has a registered gun. If the victim scores as high risk, the victim ‘skips the queue’ and is seen immediately. Yet, the preliminary risk assessment is only carried out in this scenario.

When asked if filing a risk assessment should become obligatory, the suggestion was shot down. Farrugia said all victims are offered a risk assessment, and if they refuse, risk assessors continue to encourage victims to carry out the risk assessment.

“We cannot force a person to file one, the decision is always in the hands of the individual,” she said.

Even if there is no formal risk assessment, it does not mean that by default the case is seen as ‘low risk’

Farrugia said it is “very rare” that a risk assessment is not carried out. While providing no figures, she said that from her own experience, a majority of victims sit down with a risk assessor to establish the level of associated risk they are in.

Her comments echo a statement made by the Foundation for Social Welfare Service earlier this week, which said the number of risk assessments carried out on victims who filed domestic violence reports has increased.

Fenech confirmed the refusal of a victim to have the risk assessment is “mimimun”.

Farrugia said sometimes victims do not file a risk assessment because it would be their first time, or they wish to file a police report as a “warning”.

Gafà said whether a risk assessment is carried out or not, once a police report is filed, the police are bound by law to investigate, and possibly charge the alleged perpetrator in court.

“It is important to emphasise that even if there is no formal risk assessment, it does not mean that by default the case is seen as ‘low risk’,” he said.

“The score informs our officers what risk the victim is at, but we also carry out our investigations to understand the threat the victims face.”

“If they do not want to do it (risk assessment), what do we do then?” Gafà asked.

He said the service has improved over the years, as previously risk assessors were on call, while now they form part of the team found at the Domestic Violence Hub in Santa Luċija.