There has been recent street corner gossip about the increase in crime, which citizens are putting down to the increased cost of living.

It is easy to dismiss such notions as being a mere perception of the changing reality around us. But is there more to it than meets the eye? There is no doubt that at one point in time, Malta saw a surge in violent crime, mostly armed robberies on a small scale at lotto booths, shops and other small establishments.

Some attributed this increase to the huge shock which the massive increase in water electricity brought about. Others say it is merely opportunist partisan talk and a mere coincidence. Let us make another thing clear: While things have got tougher in Malta, we are not facing the horrendous sacrifices which people in the UK and Greece are making. Sure life has got tougher, but it is still reasonably good.

But, a recent study released by The Lancet (read more on page 9) has found that there is a link in increased drug use by the Greek underclass, mainly caused by the interruption of work schemes for drug users, as well as occasional handouts, short-term employment and pocket money.

The link we are trying to make here is not that increased cost of living has caused crime to spike, but that in times of austerity (yes we are in such times), drug users resort to crime more readily to sustain their habit than they do in ‘good times’.

It must be said that not all drug users resort to violent crime. We must also accept that drug users are ill. One must also understand that a drug user resorts to crime, not because he or she wants to harm or damage another person, but because the need for a hit becomes so great that they are blinded and cannot reason correctly.

One can never forget a Xarabank programme where a user made the chilling comment that after the first couple of enjoyable hits, he took heroin merely to ‘function normally’ and not because it continued to get him high.

But the report on Greece highlighted other factors; the economic situation has led to a 25% increase in suicides and a projected 52% increase in new HIV infections.

One of the co-authors, Alexander Kentikelenis of the sociology department at the University of Cambridge, said the study reported on issues “we know are directly related to the crisis”. The authors say that the increase is largely due to people turning to drugs to forget their problems, as well as prostitution to finance their habit. Not being able to afford protection has also contributed to the increase in HIV infections.

What this report does highlight, is the ease in which a person can fall into the forgotten realms of the underclass. We reiterate, Malta is not on the brink and is doing quite well thanks to the austerity measures that have been introduced, as painful and unpopular as they are. But we must be careful, we must not go over that fine line that has clearly affected Greek people. It is also a stark reminder – there is an underclass in Malta, and we must acknowledge it, accept it and try to help those few that might just be able to make it out of there. International studies show that the underclass will, more often than not, remain there, even if offered help. But surely, we have the moral obligation to try.