A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the police force and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) on Monday.
The MoU will strengthen the level of information sharing between the MGA and the police, while it will also see new training provided by the MGA to police recruits with regards to the gaming sector, and training by the police to MGA officials with regards to cyber crime.
Home Affairs and National Security Minister Michael Farrugia said that the MoU is a step in the right direction and part of the continuous reorganisation of the police corps which is seeing it adapt to new means of criminality.
He noted that the force has been proactive in dealing with economic crimes, which have been increasing as the gaming sector – which generates around €1.2 billion of Malta’s economy, or rather 12% of the country’s GDP – has taken root in the country.
Farrugia also spoke of the importance of data sharing, saying that with the help of EU funding and of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the police corps was carrying out an extensive data centralisation exercise called Hercules 3. Through this project, data held by both the police and by other authorities will be centralised and amalgamated so it would be easier to analyse and act upon when necessary.
Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri said that this MoU is a clear sign of the importance of synergy between various authorities in the country. He said that such agreements are key to strengthening Malta’s jurisdiction in the gaming sector, which is one of the largest in the world, and would put both sides in a better position to share information between them.
He said that MGA’s work had recently resulted in the arrest of several people in Italy on charges of money laundering, and also announced that new measures relating to cyber crime will be announced in the coming days.
MGA CEO Heathcliff Farrugia spoke of the contents of the MoU and said that it not only consolidates but also confirms the very good relationship between the MGA and the police.
Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar said that the nature of criminality has changed drastically over the years, principally because of today’s technological innovation. He spoke of investment made in the force’s economic crimes unit both in human resources and physical resources, saying that the unit was now led by an assistant commissioner and was made up of two superintendants and over a dozen investigators. The cyber crime unit, he said, has also seen similar investment and improvements. Both these units will be moving to new premises by the end of the year, Cutajar said.
Cutajar said that he is sure that this MoU will facilitate work more and help to continue to obtain good results in the fight against this new type of criminality, and added that it is only one of a number of initiatives that the corps is embarking on with a number of separate authorities.