The Malta Association of Criminology (MACA) hosted a National Crime Conference “Criminality in Islands States,” at the Dolmen Hotel, Qawra, sponsored by Alberta Security, with support from Tumas Group and Airmalta for the international speakers. The Conference was held last Friday, the 23rd of April 2010.
The conference attracted a 100 delegates from the criminal justice services in Malta – police, probation and prisons, and University of Malta undergraduate and postgraduate criminology students.
The conference was opened by Dr Saviour Formosa (MACA president), with opening remarks by Dr. Michael Falzon MP who discussed the need for a holistic approach with the need to concentrate on the micro-elements, Adrian Cutajar of Alberta Security, spoke about the realities faced by agencies in the field and Supt. Domenic Micallef, representing the Commissioner of Police spoke on the planned processes for the integration of police action with community efforts. The common denominator was identifying and managing crime in Small Island States.
The conference received 20 papers on themes including: crime and crime control in 19th Century Malta, through to crime today in Bormla and modern correctional philosophies and practice, including risk assessment and offender management. Other contemporary themes include cyber crime, irregular migration, tourism related crime, aviation security and crime on university campus.
Andrew Willis, visiting professor at the Institute of Criminology, University of Malta said, “The unifying theme was the clear and explicit commitment across the criminal justice sector to generate new knowledge about crime to share with colleagues, within and across agencies, and most importantly to use this knowledge to improve criminal justice services. The papers showed a real sense of commitment and professional purpose,” adding, “the future of criminal justice in Malta is in safe and capable hands.”