Swieqi Family Locked In Their Bedrooms As Thieves Rob Their Home For 20 Minutes
A family in Swieqi were locked into their own bedroom as a gang of burglars robbed their house during the night as residents raise concern over worrying amount of crime in the area.
The shocking incident is just the latest in a string of dozens of robberies happening in the Swieqi, St Julian’s and Sliema area as residents fear that the thieves are becoming more confident.
Indeed, the Times of Malta reported that burglars have even begun removing locks from the front doors of residences to gain entrance. Sometimes the thieves would even act as local workers to gain resident’s trust, before drilling through the locks on their front doors, sometimes removing the locks from outside.
Burglars have been removing locks from doors to gain access
Photo: The Times of Malta
The police had been called by the Swieqi family after they woke up to find themselves locked in their bedrooms
CCTV footage from nearby homes show that two or three thieves were inside the home for about 20 minutes as the family slept, moving through the home as they selected what to steal. One other accomplice waited outside until they were ready.
It is believed that one particular gang is behind this spate of robberies, with many of the burglaries occurring in apartments and not houses. Among the items that were taken were cash, jewellery and watches.
Just recently, two apartments in Sliema were robbed in the same day, at around 4:30pm in the afternoon.
For their part, the police force have urged residents to communicate with their neighbours and be vigilant for anything that looks suspicious, though they have also urged that people shouldn’t “suspect that everyone’s a thief”.
They’ve also noted that the installation of CCTV systems, security locks, and the installation of alarm systems could be of benefit to the security of one’s home.
Cover photo: Simon Bell
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