Poor Patrol

I really do not want to be “that guy.”

But does it not come across as bizarre that certain problematic areas in Malta are miserably under-patrolled?

Even for those who are, police intervention seems thoroughly laid back and geared toward minimizing direct involvement as much as possible.

I do not desire my country becomes a police state; far from it. Nor that any specific area becomes the victim of more stereotyping than they are. However, realities have proved that certain areas require more police presence than others and more direct involvement of the police force than there already is.

I do not believe we had to wait for the murder of Paulina Dembska for this to happen. Or the assault of two men.

Let’s not get into whether the move for more patrols held any gender bias; that’s a whole can of worms that I would rather not get into at the moment.

I will never forget how my family was not taken seriously when repeated abuse was reported to the police; on two separate occasions, they literally greeted the abuser and let him pass by without even stopping them for questioning. On a different occasion, with a member of my family’s head split open, the police on duty were more willing to try and dissuade us from pushing the case any further than helping out.

Of course, this is not to denigrate all the police force, but a little more effort would go a long way. You do not need the people on top to tell you to double your efforts – or actually make one. Sure, working conditions do not make this easy but the job in itself requires a certain amount of altruism and responsibility. There is a lot at risk if negligence is practiced.

Why would anyone risk that?