Police commissioner calls for silence on Sliema murder case

Speaking on Radju Malta, Commissioner of Police John Rizzo said he has not excluded calling a crime conference on the New Year's Day murders that took place in Sliema, in a bid to inform the public of the ongoing criminal investigations.

Rizzo admitted that the case has raised unprecedented curiosity and was aware that speculation and rumours would run wild. He said the police also consider such factors in its investigations.

Rizzo, who was being interviewed by Andrew Azzopardi on Radju Malta, said the police corps carries the weight of responsibility and that it chose not to divulge any information before verifying and confirming facts.

Asked whether the victims' families should maintain a high media presence - referring to Duncan Zammit's father-in-law Anglu Xuereb appearing on television - Rizzo said he personally prefers the families to remain silent and "have patience". Rizzo said victims' families should have faith in the police investigations and "leave the police work in peace". He said that when the time is ripe and when all investigations are complete the police will inform the public.

Answering questions about the media's role in this latest murder case, Rizzo said the corps should have a good relationship with the media, so much so that he is currently working on organising a seminar for journalists to help police and media understand each other's role and improve their relationship.

However Rizzo said the media was sometimes obstructing police investigations. "Some journalists are helpful although some others are not." He revealed that sometimes he calls on journalists and asks them to reveal their sources when an investigation is ongoing.

The commissioner said it was a dangerous game to speculate or publish facts without verifying them. "It's not only a question of ethics but it also a question of criminal responsibility in my opinion." He said it was the responsibility of investigative journalists to report ethically. He added that he knows investigative journalists who behave professionally and others who are not professional.  

Rizzo said current investigations on the Sliema double murder are time-consuming and protracted. He admitted to be personally involved in the investigation not just as Commissioner but also because he can give a contribution as an experienced investigator.

Talking on murder crimes in general, Rizzo boasted that the police have a good record in solving murders. He also boasted of a drastic drop in the crime rate for the 2005-2011 period.

Rizzo denied that the Special Assignment Group (SAG) was being dismantled, however he admitted that the number of officers was reduced from around 100 to 60. He reiterated the SAG's importance to the police corps.

Talking on whether members of police should have a union, Rizzo said there was no need for a union since the Malta Police Association can carry out the functions of a union. He said he would never impose bad conditions on the corps since he would not want his own sons, who are members of the corps, to work under bad conditions.

He said as long as the Malta Police Association has a voice there is no need to have a new structure. However he did express his desire to maintain the representative body in house and avoid having police officers represented by different trade unions.