Minister disagrees with MPs electing police commissioner

The government is planning amendments to the laws regulating the police force in a bid to share decision-making and strategy planning with the Commissioner of Police, and have the force update on its mentality and policing approach.

Home affairs minister Carmelo Abela announced the findings of a questionnaire carried out among police officers in 2016, which listed one priority amongst others to determine proper staffing levels at police stations and departments.

Abela said his biggest concerns were the fact that the police had never had no strategy or direction and that the police commissioner currently had sole authority to set the direction of such an important institution.

The government will be introducing a chief executive officer for this role.

But Abela said that employing a new strategy in the police corps would be impossible with a proposal by the Opposition to have the Commissioner of Police appointed by a two-thirds majority in parliament. “I really do not think that is the right way forward,” he said.

650 police officers – out of 2,000 serving members – submitted completed questionnaires that were  sent to all members of the force, to understand issues faced by the officers and the changes most desired by the officers themselves. 

Criminologist Prof. Saviour Formosa said that the survey’s main findings revolved on three central issues: modernisation, functionality and knowledge-or intelligence-based approach.

“Having a CEO will vastly affect the functionality of the force as will the functional displacement of 300 to 600 officers who could realistically be released to work on real policing,” Prof. Formosa said.

The findings also revealed that there was no skills and knowledge audit of the force members to ensure that placements are relative to the efficiency and effectiveness expected from the police force.

The counseling and psychological perspective of the training that officer received should also be revamped to ensure trauma reduction and rapid take-up. 

“The police force currently has no strategy whatsoever, nothing resembling a business plan for the next two, three or five years, let alone long-term solutions. The aim of the strategy is to move the force from a post-colonial mentality to a modern and dynamic approach to policing.” 

The force itself would determine whether the strategy would succeed, Prof. Formosa said, as it was yet to be seen how the 2,000 member of the corps would embrace change.