Crime versus perception of crime in Malta

Crime in Malta has decreased over the last several years but the public’s perception of criminality and safety has gotten worse, according to this interview. The country’s homicide and overall crime rates are low by international standards, but its population has been increasing and diversifying. In the view of one criminologist, part of the explanation for the disconnect is that “people who wield a high level of influence – such as politicians, business leaders, etc. – simply echo popular perceptions, such as ‘the Police Force is demotivated’; or ‘the crime rate is exploding’… without actually consulting any of the available scientific data on the subject.”