A day in the life of an ALE officer

And with work, I am referring to the full day I have ahead of me out at sea together with ALE (Administrative Law Enforcement) police officers.

After a radio check with the depot, Sergeant Alfred Gauci takes the dinghy’s wheel and we leave Sa Maison Port at 11:30. Police Constable Edmond Grima stands next to the Sergeant, already on the lookout for any irregularities.

With the dinghy’s engine roaring with energy, we slowly make it out of the port.

Navigating through the sea, the rising wind slaps our faces, compensating for the unbearable August sun. The sea waves strike against the grey police dinghy causing splashes all around us.

The further out we go, heading towards the North of Malta, the rougher the sea becomes. “It seems like it’s going to be a quiet day,” PC Grima comments as along the way we meet with very few boats.

But he has spoken too soon.

Suddenly, the VHF makes a cracking noise and a female voice calls out to the nearest police officers to go to Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq as a boat has overturned. The action begins.

As the Sergeant increases the dinghy’s gas, the PC confirms with depot that we are going on site. Needless to say, I have to hang on to the steel frame to keep myself stable. The faster the dinghy runs, the bumpier the ride gets.

Upon reaching the site, the Sergeant slows down whilst Grima is on the lookout for anyone calling out for help.

“There they are!” Grima suddenly shouts out, pointing to two men in the sea trying to hold a boat from smashing against the rocks.

Another radio check takes place with the depot to confirm that we have found the men. Gauci slows down and Grima moves to the dinghy’s bow holding a rope.

“Catch the rope,” he calls out to the men who are still struggling with the boat, not intending to leave it alone. The rising rough sea is not making it easy for the Sergeant to get too close to the boat as it continues to push back and forth the men at sea.

With a bit of maneuvering from Gauci, Grima finally manages to tie the rope to the small boat, as the ALE officers check that none of the men are hurt.

With the dinghy towing the boat, we drive to the slipway where we find three police officers and the owner of the boat waiting for us. Even though he is OK, it is visible that the man has had the shock of his life as he continues to thank the officers over and over again.

After we take his details and leave the boat in the hands of its owner, we get back to our dinghy to proceed on our way.

As time passes by, the sea becomes rougher and the wind continues to increase its force. Even the ride becomes bumpier as we face rising waves.

Along the way we meet few boats and the majority of them are big sailing boats, cabin cruisers or yachts. If we happen to see small dinghies or small fishing boats, the police suggest that they return back due to the big waves.

The Sergeant explains that whilst out at sea, their job is not only to look out for irregularities or illegal bird hunting. They are also there to make sure that people are safe and when possible prevent from any accident to take place.

“The worst part of my job is when we have to look for dead people,” Gauci say. “The anguish is too deep when you know you can do nothing to save a life.”

Speaking of irregularities … we do not find as much as I thought I would. This probably depends on the fact that many of the boats are anchored in bays such Għadira or Blue Lagoon.

However, we still go round to make sure that all boats have a registration number on their side or that none of them are tied to the line marking a swimming zone.

Opening up on the work ALE does, Gauci says that in all, they are currently 19 members working in shifts. ALE does not focus only on sea and illegal hunting, but they do other works like assisting MEPA with illegal buildings and other structures and the Lands Department with eviction permits.

"We also go round establishments doing inspections to check upon minors who would be in clubs and do cigarette inspections amongst other things,” he says. “We also assist the Fisheries department in illegal farming and animal cruelty.”

Currently, officers are also attending fishing courses, where they learn about the existing different fish species so they would be able to recognize the fish and be able to tell whether they are legal or not. ALE is also on the lookout for illegal offroading.

The day continues as we drive up to Comino. The sea is even rougher out here, with waves rising up to one metre. We only see the Gozo Channel passing by. Arriving at Blue Lagoon, the sea is calmer and many, especially foreigners, are enjoying swimming and sunbathing.

Here, we only stop one guy out with his kids on a dinghy. The dinghy is actually a tender of a larger boat, but it is not registered.

Heading back to Malta, I notice how boats who pass us by all slow down and stare at us as if waiting from one moment to another that we stop them and fine them for something.

“We kill the bay,” Grech jokes. But it is true. People stop from whatever they are doing and just stare, even shushing their kids if they are shouting or speaking too loudly.

The rest of the day passes by uneventful. On the way back to Sa Maison at around six in the evening, we meet up with the two other officers, PS G Scerri and PC C Theuma who were out patrolling the Southern area.