Labour leader questions effectiveness of security service

Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday said he doubted how relevant and effective the security service was, adding that it was being used "to spy" on people's personal affairs.

Speaking at a press conference to explain how the Labour Party would "wage an unrelenting war" against drug barons, Dr Sant said that if the service had to exist, it should have a better legal framework and possibly form part of the police security service.

Dr Sant said the MLP had formed a three-man commission, presided by himself, to see what needed to be done about the drug issue. The commission had held meetings with several people and organisations including the police commissioner, the commander of the armed forces, the Attorney General, the Archbishop, the Chamber of Advocates and Caritas.

A 22-page document with summaries of what had been discussed with these organisations as well as the MLP's proposals was published yesterday.

Dr Sant said that instead of spending Lm500,000 to have a number of soldiers in the EU's rapid deployment force, the Labour government would boost coastal surveillance.

It would also establish drug courts to speed up the existing backlog and would consider increasing penalties for crimes against the elderly.

Dr Sant said the Labour government would have a flexible approach, dealing harshly with drug barons and lightly with victims. He said it was a shame that the government had removed embarkation cards as there was no control over where and how often people travelled.

The press conference was also addressed by spokesmen Gavin Gulia and Anglu Farrugia.

Dr Gulia said there was a need to focus on coastal surveillance as "most drugs are being imported in a clandestine manner through the coast".

Although the police had had significant successes, one could never do enough in the fight against drugs.

Dr Farrugia said it was estimated that Lm50 million were being laundered annually through drug trafficking and a way had to be found to consider professionals such as accountants and lawyers as accomplices if they did not report evident cases of money laundering.

At the press conference, The Times wanted to ask Dr Sant several questions but was not allowed to ask them.

One of the questions was whether a new Labour government would change the jury system where drug cases were involved because of the fear that jurors might be bribed or intimidated.

The Times also wanted to ask how the Labour government would eradicate the omertá problem it spoke of in the electoral manifesto and whether the proposal meant that pardons would be given.

Labour's manifesto says that laws would be enacted "to eliminate the problem of omertá (the code of silence) so that in investigations related to drug trafficking, those who fail to speak because they are afraid or because of lack of protection, would be able to speak up".

The Times also wanted to ask about the MLP's plans for the security service since Dr Sant had said he did not believe in it. Would the role of the service, which has been instrumental in sparking off investigations, be diminished or beefed up?

The Times also wanted to ask why the MLP felt it was necessary to make a reference to money collected in churches in its document related to drug trafficking.