Police force and MFWS join forces to fight online crime

(PR 133/25)

March 18, 2025

Online crime is growing rapidly and is becoming more sophisticated, leading the Police force to provide Community officers with specialised training from the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of society to be better equipped in identifying emerging risks.

Police data show that over a period of 20 years between 2004 and 2024, “indoor” crime shot up to 36 percent of all crimes out of just four percent, making this training even more essential to foster a safer digital environment for the Community and children.

The President of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, praised the Police force which is looking forward and providing crucial training to its officials.

“Education should be our first line of defence. If we are serious about creating a safer digital world, we need to focus our attention from reactive measures to proactive prevention, based on collaboration to drop silos and build a safer digital world,” said Ms Coleiro Preca.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between the Police force and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society to strengthen this collaboration and follow the successful training already given to 26 officials by the Cyber crime Unit.

The Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society is accredited by the Malta further and higher Education Authority to deliver this training, which forms part of the project promoting Online Protection – P.O.P-Up.

In 2023, the Foundation commissioned a survey — the first of its kind — which showed that almost one third of all students aged between seven and 15 received bulky or inappropriate messages online, while 15 percent of children experienced some form of online abuse.

Since the launch of the P.O.P-up, the Foundation has been working tirelessly with all stakeholders, including the Police force, to keep pace with the evolving tactics of online predators and address the digital epidemic of child exploitation.

During today’s signing, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said that this partnership between the Police force and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of society represented a significant step forward in collective efforts to protect children from online abuse.

“Through the P.O.P-up project we are equipping our officers with vital training, raising awareness in the Community, and providing essential resources to safeguard children in the digital space. This collaboration underlines our firm commitment to ensure a safer online environment for the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Commissioner Gafà.

This training will equip officials with the latest strategies and tools for risk identification, and engagement with the Community effectively, while ensuring that officials are better prepared to take a more proactive and informed approach to their daily interactions within the Community, including in their communication with schoolchildren.

“This MOU will further strengthen our police approach in the digital environment through which we can contribute to a safer digital world for our children where police visibility and proactive approaches are far more challenging than the physical environment,” added Commissioner Gafà.

Police force and MFWS join forces to fight online crime

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