Cafeteria Owner Urges Msida Police Station Reopening After Two Robberies In One Month
The owner of the Coffee Circus Porto cafeteria is calling on the authorities to reopen the Msida police station after experiencing two robberies within a single month.
Cristina Davó told Lovin Malta that the popular cafeteria was robbed twice in December – on the 12th and the 24th.
She said the first thief robbed some €400 after squeezing into the cafeteria through a small space above the building that she didn’t believe a human could pass through. The robber’s speech, captured through CCTV footage, indicated that he was probably a Serbian national.
After the first break-in, the owner installed an alarm and connected it to her phone. On Christmas Eve, she was having dinner with colleagues at her residence above the cafeteria when the alarm went off.
They rushed down to the cafeteria and spotted the thief but he managed to escape with some €60 through a window he had smashed to get in. She said he was a different thief, and voice recordings indicate he might have been a Pakistani national.
The Msida police station has been closed for refurbishment works for around two years
She reported the footage to the police on both occasions but has yet to receive an update from their end.
With the Msida police station down the road being closed for the past two years due to refurbishment works, Cristina warned she feels far less safe than she used to.
“By the time the police arrive from the Sliema police station, the thieves have plenty of time to rob my store and run off.”
Besides the break-ins, she also warned that thieves have previously stolen her clients’ electric scooters that were parked outside the cafeteria, and that drug and cannabis use is a common occurrence in the area.
“Even though it’s illegal to smoke weed in public, people are constantly smoking in my cafeteria. I had to put papers on my tables to clarify that you cannot smoke weed here but some people think you can smoke everywhere in Malta. Some people have even asked me if I sell weed myself, because I run a coffee shop and weed is allowed in Malta.”
“All I want is to sell coffee, scones and cakes. I didn’t open a cafeteria for this sort of vibe but no one cares about the law here. “I have even witnessed police officers walking by while people openly smoke weed, yet they take no action.”
Cover photos (Left: Credit – Coffee Circus Porto, Right: Google Maps)
Should the authorities prioritise the reopening of the Msida police station?
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