Over 550 police reports concern abuses on elderly citizens

A total of 570 police reports filed in 2017 and 2018 were cases of abuse on elderly citizens. In 2017, 259 reports concerned elderly individuals while in 2018 the number increased to 311.

In 2017, the highest number of police reports (124) concerning elderly citizens were cases of domestic violence. Six of the 259 reports were cases of theft in public, six were cases of armed robberies and 48 were 'snatch and grab' cases.

In 2018, domestic violence cases towards elderly people increased to 143. There were three cases of aggravated theft, six cases of theft in public, and 47 cases of 'snatch and grab.' 112 elderly individuals filed police reports over physical injuries caused by another person.

Interior Minister Michael Farrugia presented this data in Parliament yesterday to a question posed by Labour MP Etienne Grech.