PN slams Italian police patrols as ‘certificate of government failure’

Updated at 2:35pm with PL statement

Asking the Italian police for help in tourist areas is “nothing short of a certificate of failure”, the Nationalist Party has said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PN condemned the government’s decision to bring in eight Italian police officers to help patrol tourist areas. The party described the decision as a “blow to our nation’s sovereignty”.

“Malta has a Police Force made up of dedicated officers, but this Government has left them behind and failed to invest in them. Now it is disrespecting them further by calling on the police force of another country.”

It said it is expressing full solidarity with the officers of the police force, who have to work with limited resources despite a growing population and “increasingly irresponsible tourism”.

“It is regrettable that the hard work of operators in the tourism sector is being squandered by a government lacking commitment and the political will to invest in the most crucial areas,” it said.

The PN said the help is appreciated but it was the government’s responsibility to maintain a standard of quality tourism. “It failed to safeguard the country’s security. And it has now had to resort to the security forces of another country to maintain order in Malta.”

“A new PN Government will allocate the best resources to rebuild the reputation of the Police Force, providing officers with the best tools and necessary training, while also restoring the tourism sector – based on quality – to the top of Malta and Gozo’s economic priorities for the future.”

On Monday evening, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced that Italian police officers will be on patrol in Malta but with no executive responsibilities.

He said this is part of cooperation efforts with other countries. He posted a photo on Facebook of Maltese police officers on patrol in France.

“As we learn from one another, the executive responsibility rests with the Maltese police,” he said.  

In reaction to the PN’s statement, the Labour Party said the police force is just cooperating with foreign partners. “The Opposition is so partisan and populist that it is trying to create sensationalism about agreements offering experience and knowledge for our police corp,” it said.

“The Nationalist Party wants to deny these experiences and is attacking the government by targeting security. We remind the Nationalist Party that Malta is among the ten safest countries in the world, and crime rates have fallen against last year.”