Maltese Woman Threatened to Be Shot by Ex-Partner Told by Police to ‘Report When Something Happens’
A Maltese woman who was facing threats of being shot by her own partner was told by the Maltese police to make a “report when something actually happens” when she tried to ask for help.
The woman, who chose to remain anonymous for her own safety, detailed how she was forced to live with these threats, knowing enough that her partner actually had a gun.
To make matters worse, the woman also claimed that some of these threats were made in front of the police and court marshals, but they did not take action because they were intimidated by the aggressor.
“I had a case where my ex-partner was known to the police and they were afraid of him. He threatened to shoot me in front of the police and court marshals and when I went to report to the police they sent me to the Domestic Violence unit,” the woman told Lovin Malta.
The woman detailed how her ex-partner had her money and had to go to court for years to get her things back. Upon winning the case, the court ordered a warrant for the seizure of the assets.
When the bailiff went to his house to seize his assets, her ex-partner started shouting and threatening to kill her.
“When I went to Floriana and told them that I wanted to report these threats, they told me many times that the inspector was sick and no one could take my report.”
The woman also detailed how difficult it was to get through to the Domestic Violence section, and whenever she made a call, no note was taken.
After a month of living in fear and endless phone calls and attempts to get help, the woman received a call from the DV inspector after threatening to write about her experience on Facebook.
The inspector told her how she had never heard of her case, which angered the victim even more.
“When I finally got around to talking to the inspector, they told me to make a report when he actually does something to me,” she said.
“I told the police I will call you from my grave then.”
“So this man, who is clearly dangerous, is running around doing whatever he wants with a weapon and he can shoot me at any time,” she said.
Upon hearing about this case, Lovin Malta reached out to the Domestic Violence Section to hear about the protocol followed when victims receive such threats.
“Please note that the GBDV Unit investigates all reports that are made and the officers will also direct the victim to all available services that may be of help,” a representative told Lovin Malta.
“Threats are crimes punishable by law and deserve immediate reporting to the police for action to be taken. These crimes must be reported to the GBDV Unit, after which the perpetrator will be questioned accordingly and all relevant charges will be issued.”
Have you ever experienced something similar?