‘I Don’t Think I Am At Risk’: FSWS Shares Nicolette Ghirxi’s Refusal Of Risk Assessment
The Foundation for Social Welfare Services shared the non-consent form signed by Nicolette Ghirxi when she refused a risk assessment after reporting her ex-partner for harassment mere months before her murder.
This comes amid allegations that the victim was talked out of having one by officials on duty.
“At present, I don’t think I am at risk. My report is based on insults and harassments. If anything new comes up, I will report,” Ghirxi wrote on a form declaring her reasons for refusing a risk assessment.
Over the weekend, the Times of Malta quoted a friend of Ghirxi who accompanied her while making the police report. She claimed that Ghirxi initially verbally agreed to a risk assessment but was talked out of it while at the station.
The friend left her side after she was told the assessment would have to be done alone.
Later on, the friend received a voice recording from Ghirxi stating that she decided not to proceed with the risk assessment because officers informed her it would be ineffective to the harassment consisting of insults rather than threats.
They said that she would score low and should report to the authorities if anything else were to happen.
This has led to widespread criticism of the police’s Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit, including by the Opposition Party which claimed that Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa lied in a press conference following the harrowing murder.
PN MPs further said that Gafa was inadvertently blaming the victim.
FSWS released the affidavits of the two risk assessors who explained their version of events.
The risk assessors were Jodie Baldacchino and Pavel Cuscieri who wrote that Ghirxi reported her ex-partner Edward Johnston to the Police Headquarters in Floriana on 22nd April at around 8.15pm. They wrote that it is possible that Johnston was in Ireland at the time.
After Ghirxi made the report, the risk assessors proceeded into the “shift room” to offer their services which would include beginning the DASH risk assessment. Ghirxi entered the room with the police who made the report.
One of the risk assessors then explained what a risk assessment involves as his colleague prepared to take notes. Ghirxi was told that she was entitled to a risk assessment which will evaluate the risk she is in to become a victim of physical violence or even murder based on the information she provides.
Ghirxi then “seemed to understand” what the risk assessment is and told the assessors that she does not feel like she needs to do it because her report consisted of “harassment and insults”, according to the document.
The assessors explained once again that it is her decision whether or not to do a risk assessment and that the offer was still open. She then confirmed that she did not feel she was at risl. The assessors then explained to her that if she changes her mind later on, she should return back to the Gender-Based and Domestic Violence Unit within 24 hours to do the risk assessment.
The document states that Ghirxi wrote the reasons for refusal without any influence of anyone else.
FSWS maintained that “at no point” did its professionals “discourage the victim”. It further stressed that this was the only communication that FSWS had with Ghirxi.
It then shared the statistics of people who choose not to do risk assessments “even though the Sunday Times report made no reference to the numbers it asked for”.
Between January and June of 2023, the police received 607 reports of domestic violence which rose to 1,138 during the same period of this year.
Meanwhile, the number of people who decided to do a risk assessment increased by 37% – it rose from 562 in the first half of last year to 770 in the first half of this one.
On the other hand, 368 people chose not to do a risk assessment in the first six months of 2024 and they represent 32.34% of the total reports made. However, FSWS did not give those numbers for 2023.
The foundation concluded that it is ready to cooperate with an inquiry or investigation that seeks to examine its work both in the field in general and in this particular case.
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