Editorial: Crime history repeating itself

“This is a country that is accepting that crimes happen without being solved,” Kevin Grech was quoted saying, 45 years after his teenage sister was killed by a parcel bomb sent to their home. His painful declaration is no doubt shared by the loved ones of victims of the impunity that reigned supreme – as it still does – over the years and on the watch of different administrations. It ranges from the violence and oppression of the most turbulent times in this country’s political history to the many instances where the colour of money has been brighter than the rule of law. Karin Grech, Lino Cauchi and Raymond Caruana come to mind immediately but there could be others. To this very day, their families continue to express deep sorrow at having been abandoned by the state. Compensation, when given, is hardly adequate to bring closure. Sadly, history keeps repeating itself. Though overall crimes rates are down, there remains a clear problem with crimes committed with the involvement of the state or its ‘agents’. That emerges very clearly when reading the judgment awarding €615,000 to Cauchi’s heirs and comparing it to the conclusions drawn by the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana...