Keeping the community safe is the top priority of the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security, Reforms and Equality. From safety at home and in our streets, to border security and safety in times of distress, this ministry invariably has a multiple of functions in our society. Our community is being kept safe even though we acknowledge that guaranteeing safety is an unenviable task.

The Maltese are aware of this and are appreciative of our disciplined forces. Local and EU surveys have confirmed a marked increase in the Maltese appreciation of the police and in the armed forces. At 68 per cent, the Maltese have the highest trust rate in the corps in the past 10 years. Four out of five Maltese are satisfied with our armed forces.

These figures are the result of a consistent and focused strategy backed by an unprecedented capital investment, which this year nearly topped €30 million, a threefold increase over 2012. It is also the result of the government giving the disciplined forces better pay and pension packages plus a host of specialised training programmes and tools.

The current police corps’s transformation is part of the reform strategy which calls for a clear, consistent and transparent communication with the public. The reform is aimed at moulding the force on solid structures rather than individuals and having technology and information playing key roles.

New uniforms for the police from January is not just a cosmetic initiative. The civilianisation of the corps and the take-up of new recruits in the near future will consolidate the changes already underway.

Body cams and community policing are only a few of the visible deliverables making a change in operations. The enhancement of the working environment is being prioritised as mirrored not only at police headquarters but also in the Marsaxlokk, Żejtun, Żurrieq, Marsa and St Paul’s Bay police stations and at the Forensic Science Laboratory. We are aware that more needs to be done and shall continue to prioritise the working environment in 2023.

The community policing initiative, currently encompassing nearly four out of every five towns and villages in Malta, will next year extend to the whole of the country. This will continue to build on its success story as evidenced by the drop in the nationwide crime rate.

Bernice Cassar’s femicide showed that irrespective of the resources put into the setting up of the Domestic Violence Unit, this scourge cannot be fought only by the police but also by various entities and everyone who comes across it.

Domestic violence cannot be fought only by the police- Byron Camilleri

The creation of this dedicated police unit, two years back, as suggested by Grevio, the independent expert body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, was a step in the right direction.

To date, more than 3,670 reports have been submitted to the unit, an average of four daily. However, it is very clear that we need to provide more resources and do more.

As promised in Labour’s manifesto, a new law, the equivalent of the UK’s Clare’s Law, will soon empower the police at the Victim Support Agency to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s previous abusive or violent offending. 

Is this enough? It is never enough and the government cannot tackle this problem on its own. However, the government is committed to take all necessary steps to combat this plague. Whatever it takes.

Prison inmates’ rehabilitation is essential but even more so is the need to support those who are victims of crime. To this end, the Victims Support Agency has consolidated its services by offering free holistic support to crime victims.

To date, more than 1,600 persons have turned to the agency for psychological and legal help offered by victims’ support members of the police and a multidisciplinary team of professionals. And,  next year, the agency will launch a 24/7 national helpline.

Byron Camilleri is Minister for Home Affairs.