Over the past months, it has become increasingly clear that crime is increasing, and violent crime in particular.

While statistics have not yet been released, it is a general feeling that is going around. Over the past months we have seen one armed robbery after another. We have also seen an increase in the frequency of muggings.

While the police have registered success, even in rounding up criminal gangs, the arrests came after the crimes were committed, or when other people got involved in passing on information.

The world of crime is changing and it is changing fast. Criminals are no longer constricted to operating at night, they are often out robbing and mugging people in broad daylight. This suggests that there is either not enough of a police presence, or criminals do not feel deterred by the Police Corps. In reality it is a bit of both.

It is a well-known fact that there police are undermanned. The Police Commissioner went as far as admitting it himself in various statements. It is an open secret that the Corps has to juggle all its members to cover all bases.

In addition, the Police Corps is saddled with a number of members who were engaged a fair few years ago when the idea of being a policeman was not as respected as it is today. To be very blunt, there are a number of overweight officers who are doing nothing more than seeing out their retirement. The Police Corps is also in danger of losing touch. Criminals are resorting to smart phones, emails, gadgets and much more to stay one step ahead of the law and they are succeeding.

The first thing that needs to be done is to boost the moral of the Police Corps. A thorough refurbishing of police stations should be the starting point, installation of decent equipment should follow and then retraining of officers.

We cannot deny that criminals are getting bolder. While we used to hear of small-scale robberies and the odd large lotto booth haul, we had never heard of heists that were designed to haul off millions of euros. We had never heard of old women being mugged in broad daylight in Sliema. All this seems to have changed in the past few years as ease of access to firearms and greed took over.

The increase in serious crime is a reflection of so called ‘progress’. It seems that the more quality of life improves, the more serious the crimes that follow. Some of it stems from drug dependency, others from greed, others from lust, others to take retribution. We have also seen cases where high-ranking police officers have turned to the other side, as recent events with David Gatt’s organised crime ring showed. Only a couple of years ago, a superintendent was dismissed for demanding protection money and stealing a police pistol.

Something has to be done. It already seems that criminals feel they can strike with impunity. Woe betide us if we get to a stage where they actually can. It seems like some officers no longer feel that it is worth it. Woe betide us if we begin to think more like them.