The issue of detention centres for irregular immigrants is a delicate and sensitive one, and there is no doubt that Malta needs all the help that it can get from the European Union to deal with the problem.

Overcrowding, depression and a lack of self-esteem are some of the things that those detained in these centres have to deal with on a daily basis. They left their homeland, mainly to escape poverty and injustice, only to find themselves cooped up in a centre and guarded by soldiers day and night.

Although conditions at the detention centres have improved in recent months, they are not hotels either. In spite of every effort to make life comfortable for the immigrants, they are still being detained – they are not free to leave the centre, they are not free to live their lives, to seek employment and so forth.

Is it surprising, therefore, that these men, women and children begin to feel desperate, lonely and defeated? Of course not! What is worrying, however, is that certain individuals outside the detention centres have tried, or are trying, to play on these fears and emotions.

Earlier this week, the government made public a report on the violent clashes between soldiers and irregular immigrants at Safi detention centre. Drawn up by Judge Franco Depasquale, the report concludes that although the order to use force to return the immigrants indoors was justified, the force used by several soldiers “was exaggerated and out of proportion in the circumstances”.

However, in his 97-page report, Judge Despasquale concludes that the protest by the immigrants that day had been instigated by outsiders. It had been fanned by “certain people who used to visit them and who used to tell them that, had they been in other countries, they would have been released”.

The report clearly condemns the tactics used by the army to quell the protest, and it singles out one particular soldier who had gone “against a well-known principle that minimum force is to be exercised when quelling such protests”.

Judge Depasquale’s findings make it clear that the incident was in no way the result of animosity between the army and the detainees. The immigrants had protested because they wanted to be released and to remain on the island.

However, neither was the protest peaceful or legitimate. The immigrants had reacted in an abusive manner and had refused to obey orders from army officers. And so they are also to blame for what happened.

There are a number of points to consider.

First, not all armed forces personnel are trained to deal with this sort of situation, to the extent that there was a total breakdown in communication between different groups of soldiers. Further training in this regard is a must.

The report called on those who had voiced their concerns last year to turn those “nice sentiments into concrete assistance and that this assistance should not only be of a financial nature”. We agree.

Second, soldiers who are not trained to deal with protests may, through their actions, cause more harm than good, as the report points out. Personnel on duty at these centres need more than just “anti-riot” training. They need to learn how to deal with the emotions of a group of people who, although not convicts, are still not free.

Third, we sometimes tend to forget that those protecting the illegal immigrants also have to maintain a level of protection themselves. At times, they too are the subject of much abuse. There are many stories that are never made public that would, at times, change the public’s perceptions.

Fourth, we fail to see the reasoning behind the recommendation to continue preventing the media from gaining access to detention centres. It might be a good idea for the government to explain, rather than impose, such a policy decision.

Judge Depasquale’s report should be evaluated in greater detail by the government and authorities. It provides much food for thought, it highlights areas of weakness and, finally, it proves that Malta needs all the help it can get from the EU and other countries.