The police have detained 60 persons for living and working in Malta illegally.

The arrests were made in a number of raids over the past days.

The police said the people are being held at the Detention Centre until arrangements are made for their repatriation to their country of origin or the country where they hold a work/residence permit.

The raids were conducted in conjunction with the Detention Service and immigration authorities. Further similar operations are planned.

The police did not give details on how the arrested persons came to Malta, although in the past, the majority of cases involved people whose work/residence permits would have expired.