Updated | Laurence Cutajar appointed police commissioner

Acting police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar has been granted the position on a permanent basis, the home affairs ministry announced in a statement.

The Nationalist Party heavily criticised the appointment, claiming that Cutajar’s only qualification to the top job is “being Joseph Muscat’s friend”.

Cutajar was appointed acting police commissioner back in April, following the resignation of Michael Cassar. He has a long history within the police force, joining in 1979 as a probationary police constable. In 1983, he was promoted to third class police sergeant on probation and posted at Luqa Airport Security, the Sliema police station, the Control Room, the vice squad and Security and Investigations.

A year later, he was appointed a police inspector and posted at the mobile squad, the Intelligence Special Branch, and the Sliema, Zabbar, Zejtun and Zurrieq police station.

He was promoted to police superintendent in 2000 and posted at the Bormla, Mosta and Qormi police stations. He was promoted to assistant police commissioner in 2014, before being named acting police commissioner in April this year following Cassar’s resignation.

Cutajar is the fifth police commissioner in the past three years – following John Rizzo, Peter Paul Zammit, Ray Zammit and Michael Cassar. Cassar stepped down from the top police job in April, citing health reasons. However, it has been widely reported that his resignation was due to pressure from the fallout of the Panama Papers scandal.

Cutajar’s appointment as acting police commissioner was criticised by Opposition MP Clyde Puli, who noted that he had written a Facebook status in 2013 praising Joseph Muscat for “having balls”.

“His comments are undeserving of a police commissioner,” he said, before urging the government to a new police chief who enjoys the support of two thirds of MPs.

‘Cutajar’s only qualification is being friends with Muscat’ - Fenech Adami 

PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami harshly criticised Cutajar’s appointment, claiming that his sole qualification to the role was “being Joseph Muscat’s friend”.

“Joseph Muscat has ignored Simon Busuttil’s call for the new police commissioner to be appointed through a two-thirds parliamentary majority,” he said in a statement. “Once again, Muscat has prioritised his own personal interests over the national interest.”

He challenged Cutajar to investigate minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s Keith Schembri over their offshore Panama companies, arguing that that is the only way he can gain credibility.