Sandra Gauci says police officers need greater support on the job

Police officers need more support when performing their duties, Green Party ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said.

“As we have witnessed recently, the sense of respect towards the police is slowly being lost,” Gauci said on Saturday, adding recent incidents in Ħamrun and Sliema show how the police has become “an obstacle for those who dare to do what they want”.

Referring to a recent survey conducted by Eurobarometer, Gauci said this revealed that 92% of the Maltese believe that corruption is widespread in Malta, registering an increase of 13% between 2022 and 2023.

She said this does not bode well for a society that aspires to uphold the rule of law.

“If justice and the rule of law is being belittled by those who lead, it is no big surprise seeing people who think they are above the law. In a country where the mentality is anything goes and ‘I’m free to do anything I want’, it is easy for this to become the general feeling nationwide,” Gauci said.

The ADPD chairperson said respect and rectitude had to start from the very top.

ADPD Secretary General Ralph Cassar said the police are the first port of call for many people in difficulty.

“This need is being increasingly felt over time in a country that is constantly increasing in population, and as a consequence, the number of cases involving the need to maintain public order increases,” he said.

Cassar said there weren’t enough police officers to cope in a country with a growing population.