One out of every seven prisoners is officially registered as living in the St Paul’s Bay area, according to research that exposes the rapid transformation of what was once a sleepy fishermen’s village.
“The number of prisoners from St Paul’s Bay is three times the national average... This is not an average to be proud of,” former minister and Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea said.
Mr Galea stumbled upon this “saddening situation” during his work for a Masters in Maltese Studies, which highlights emerging social problems in a locality that is now home to some 100 different nationalities.
These prisoners are practically divided between Maltese who are in jail for theft and petty crimes, with a small number connected to drugs and prostitution; and foreigners, who are mostly behind bars in connection with drugs.
“Another disheartening reality concerns the number of residents who have to report to the police station on a daily or weekly basis,” Mr Galea wrote in his dissertation.
There are 112 St Paul’s Bay residents waiting for their case to be heard who have to sign the bail book at the police station. This adds up to nearly one per cent of the population.
“Having one per cent of a...
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