The police force is managing to obtain “very positive results” in Gozo, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia told The Malta Independent after concerns were raised over two particular stations on the island being frequently closed amid a seasonal rise in crime.

Some days ago, The Malta Independent reported concerns that the police stations in Nadur and Xagħra were frequently being found closed by those wishing to seek help or file reports.  PN MP and Gozo spokesperson Chris Said told this newspaper back then that a number of robberies – one involving the theft of €60,000 – had been reported but remained unsolved.

Asked why the aforementioned police stations were closed despite it being a known fact that more people travel to Gozo in this period, Farrugia noted that the police in Gozo is obtaining “very positive results” and added that three persons were arrested on Wednesday accused of being involved in a series of thefts which happened in recent weeks on the sister island, whilst also saying that police based in Gozo had “never had success in arrests on drug trafficking as now”.

It is unclear whether the three persons mentioned as being arrested by the Minister are connected to the thefts reported by PN MP Said.

Asked why more resources were not diverted to Gozo given that the influx of people visiting the island in that period is well known, Farrugia said that not all police work is done in uniform and at the station.  He said that there was – and still is – continual work by plain-clothes policemen which helped fight criminality, prevent it, and gather information related to it.

He also noted that the use of IT systems was improving in stations, and said that systems which had found success overseas were being utilised as well in Malta and Gozo.

He reminded that some police stations overseas have fixed opening hours and are the closed for the rest of the day. “I do not think that we should go to that situation, but I think that we should have more functional stations.  At the same time however, if a policeman has gone out on work, I cannot tell him to not go just to stay in the station”, Farrugia said. 

To make up for the times that a station is closed, Farrugia explained, the police corps is currently trialling a pilot project where telephones are stuck to stations so that if the station happens to be closed, a person can use this hotline to connect with the police control room and make their report or complaint to them. Those handling the call at the control room will then take the necessary steps immediately so that no time is lost, Farrugia said.

He noted that if this project is seen to be effective, it will be rolled out to all police stations in Malta and Gozo.