A study of the causes and effects of occupational property crime in Malta

Abstract

Purpose: The primary aims of this dissertation were to define Occupational Property Crime (OPC) and its attributes in the Maltese context as well as to identify the theoretical aspects of its main causes and effects through available literature and investigate motivations and consequences in the Maltese setting. A final aim was to recommend ways to reduce these crimes. Design: This study was conducted through 27 semi-structured interviews with OPC’s offenders, employers victimised by these crimes, law enforcement, lawyers, probation officers and magistrates. Owing to the research’s purposes, a qualitative-oriented method of data collection was deemed more appropriate to gain insight behind the “whys” of the individual’s views, experiences, and behaviour. Findings: The general tenor of interview participants was that OPC is common and of moderate concern. Results indicated that OPC was mainly motivated by need and opportunity and to a minor extent by feelings of injustice. OPC’s consequences were various and generally affected the parties involved in different ways. Findings showed that OPC was normally dealt with by organisations in a negative reactive approach through measures of which varied from lacking to satisfactory. Conclusions: Akin to the majority of crime, OPC will be hard to eliminate entirely, nonetheless it can be decreased, if not completely prevented in several occasions. The emphasis in OPC reduction should be on prevention more than control. As the cost of OPC continues to escalate and slashes further the profits, organisations must amplify pre-emptive measures and tackle OPC proactively by enacting both procedural and interactive strategies in their fight against it. Value: Overall, this research makes important contributions to the present knowledge of the OPC’s problem generally and provides significant and useful information on a subject of significance to various scholars and the actual employers and managers of organisations who are interested in better comprehending this problem.