Former police superintendent to be next Police Commissioner

Former senior police officer Peter Paul Zammit appointed Police Commissioner; outgoing commissioner appointed to Civil Protection.

12 April 2013, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

Peter Paul Zammit (left) is the new Police Commissioner while Michael Cassar has been appointed head of Security Services.

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Former police superintendent Peter Paul Zammit has been appointed as the new Commissioner for Police, replacing outgoing Police Commissioner John Rizzo who will be appointed head of the Civil Protection Department.

Assistant commissioner Michael Cassar is to be appointed head of the Security Services.

Zammit, 52, is a legal procurator who served in the Police Corps for 25 years until 2009, having served as inspector and superintendent.

This is the second time that an 'outsider' is appointed Commissioner of Police - in 1987, Eddie Fenech Adami appointed Alfred Calleja as commissioner. He left the force in 1980 on medical grounds but was reinstated in May 1987 and promoted to superintendent three months later. He served as Police Commissioner between 1988 and 1992.

Cassar, 56, served as an inspector, superintendent and assistant commissioner in the CID, the drug squad, and the Economic Crimes Unit, and lectures in the Police Academy and the European Training College.

Rizzo, appointed Police Commissioner in 2001, was informed of this decision on Wednesday. He will be appointed head of the Civil Protection Department, and serve as a consultant on internal security to home affairs minister Manuel Mallia.

MaltaToday is also informed that police assistant commissioner Pierre Calleja, responsible of CID, was also being considered for the job at the helm of the police force.

Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

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tarxieniz1, do you expect the new Administration to keep those public employees servile to GonziPN, in power? And thereby allow GonziPNisti to govern in a underhanded fashion? NO WAY! Apart from the experience garnered by Alfred Sant, who must regret his decision to keep on all those GonziPNisti, it is clear those plodders needed changing with energetic new blood.

Maureen Attard •

MALTA TAGHHOM ILKOLL.

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Congratulations to Mr Zammit and wishing him a successful tenure in this central role. Both as a prosecutor where he was a cut above the rest and as a defender, one could see that he knows the criminal code well and this augurs well. He is inheriting a well respected police force and one hopes that this respect will increase under his tenure. Mr Rizzo should also be thanked for steering the corps effectively for 12 years, taking a rather low key approach which avoided controversy as much as possible. J. Ellis.

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Well deserved A/C Cassar.

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And what about the present incumbent at the Department of Civil Protection?

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i assumed Harrison would take the job actually he assumed he will lol