Elderly people’s fears that crime is on the rise are not backed up by statistics, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia has said, dismissing concerns that some were scared to the point of refusing to leave their homes.

Such fears, he said, were only being fomented by media reports on mugging and burglaries and people sharing their experiences on social media.

Last month, an elderly Sliema couple mugged and injured in broad daylight told Times of Malta they never leave their apartment any more because they do not feel safe enough to walk in the streets alone. Since then, a number of other elderly people have come forward with similar concerns, saying they lived in fear every day.

Asked about this, Dr Farrugia said the “thing he looked at most was statistics”.

“During the MEPs’ election campaign, criminality in Sliema was brought up. When we looked into it, we found that this was untrue,” Dr Farrugia said.

When Times of Malta pointed out that a number of people who have been mugged or whose houses had been burgled had come forward with their concerns, Dr Farrugia reiterated “the reality is what it is”.

When you look at statistics, you see the reality of the situation

“You get the reality from the reports on the number of robberies that take place. If one looks at the number of reports, so that you can see certain waves, that is where you get a reaction from the police.

“The police have arrested a number of people who were not involved in just one burglary but in a series of thefts,” Dr Farrugia went on.

Pressed to say whether he believed there was a problem when people were saying they were too scared to leave their houses, because they were afraid of being mugged or attacked in the street, the minister again referred to the numbers.

The crime rate in Malta, he said. was among the lowest in the European Union.  The local crime rate per 100,000 citizens was half that of the EU, he added.

“When you look at the statistics, you can see what the reality of the situation is,” he argued.

“Obviously, if you have a person constantly saying that there is a problem with criminality and if you have news reports identifying certain cases, without comparing like with like to show what is happening on a larger scale, then it would not be realistic.

“Nobody can challenge statistics. It is what it is and I appreciate that newspapers deliver the message. But to have someone, Sunday after Sunday or week after week, repeating the same things… the reality is what it is,” Dr Farrugia repeated.

He observed with with the presence of social media and greater freedom of the press, people were more likely to publicly share what happened to them.