'Angelo Gafa's appointment as Police Commissioner must not be renewed' - PN

The Partit Nazzjonalista (PN) opposition has urged the government not to renew Angelo Gafa’s appointment as Commissioner of Police, noting that his current tenure is due to end soon.

In a statement on Saturday, the PN Shadow Minister for home affairs, Darren Carabott, said the party wanted to “clearly declare that his [Gafa’s] appointment must not be renewed.”

The party pointed to a number of grave shortcomings which had emerged during Gafa’s leadership, saying that these had “led to a lack of justice and enforcement of the law, as well as great frustration for serious officers who wanted to perform their duties.”

The government’s failure to remove the Commissioner from his post had led to a weakening in the police force’s reputation, lower morale amongst serving officers and a drop in recruitment numbers.

“The PN has insisted a number of times, particularly after inquiries revealed the shortcomings of Commissioner Angelo Gafa, that he should be immediately removed. In spite of this, the Labour Government has continued to place blind trust in him. 

Now that his contractual period has reached its end, and as the Government had not taken a decision earlier, the PN repeats that his appointment should not be extended.”

The party insisted that there were a number of other people “who are worthy of occupying this post, which is so important to the rule of law in our country and who above all take action when their country calls to them.”

This would also be an opportunity for both sides of the House of Parliament to come to a unanimous agreement on an individual who enjoys the trust of the Maltese people, as well as having the required credentials to work for the good of Malta “without fear or favour.”