It’s time to allow police officers with tattoos, minister says

The police force should update its internal procedures and allow recruits with tattoos to join the corps, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Camilleri called for a change in mentality so that “talent is not lost simply because a person chose to have a tattoo”.

“With the strategic transformation in the police force we are bringing about positive change to have a more modern and inclusive, force, that is also more representative of society… I believe the time has come for the police corps to adjourn its procedures, as we have already done in other circumstances, on the recruitment of people with tattoos,” the minister said.

His comment was accompanied by a Facebook poll on two contrasting images of police officers without tattoos and clean shaven, and the same officers with a beard and a visible arm tattoo.

Camilleri said this change should be accompanied by clear guidelines.

His comment comes in the wake of ongoing industrial action by police unions over orders given by the police commissioner for officers to be clean shaven every day.

Is it acceptable to you that politicians and public officials have visible tattoos? Check out the findings of this MaltaToday survey from 2019.