24 escapees captured so far

The police yesterday pledged to do their utmost to locate the 30 remaining illegal immigrants who escaped from custody on Saturday, after two escapees were seriously injured during an operation to capture them on Monday night.

During a news conference, Police Commissioner John Rizzo defended the police and stressed that the Floriana headquarters were never intended to double up as a detention centre. This meant that maximum security could not be guaranteed.

No fewer than 110 foreigners staying in Malta illegally have been intercepted by police in their search of just over two days. 24 of them were from the 54 who escaped from the headquarters.

Thirty-six of the immigrants caught, who are not among the escapees, have already been deported.

The police received a report at around 10 p.m. on Monday that a number of illegal immigrants had been spotted on the roof of the Good Shepherd Convent in Balzan.

District and mobile police immediately went to the area where four illegal immigrants were intercepted straight away. Several mattresses were strewn across the convent roof, the police said.

As the police combed the building, they heard a loud thud coming from a garden next to the convent. When they rushed to see what had happened they saw another illegal immigrant lying down in agony. He had fallen four storeys, probably as he tried to get away.

Shortly after, another man was found in another part of the convent, also injured.

After they were rushed to hospital, it was established that one man had broken his back and he had to undergo surgery. The other suffered leg fractures.

Mr Rizzo said that 146 police officers were patrolling the island looking for the illegal immigrants.

He would not confirm whether the Sicilian police had contacted their counterparts in Malta after 17 illegal immigrants landed in Spina Santa early yesterday morning.

La Sicilia newspaper said the police suspected that the illegal immigrants had left from Malta. A man claiming to be one of the escapees contacted The Times on Monday to say that some of the illegal immigrants had left for Sicily.

Mr Rizzo said it was disappointing to note that some individuals were not cooperating with the police and were instead offering refuge to the escapees.

He confirmed that a departmental inquiry into Saturday's escape was under way, and promised that action would be taken if any shortcomings were established. However, no inspector was under house arrest.

He appealed to the media and the public to realise the difficult situation being faced by police.

He said more than 1,600 immigrants had landed in Malta in the past 18 months alone and detention centres and resources were stretched to the limit.

The police had no choice but to build an emergency centre inside the depot which used to house the Criminal Investigation Department yard.

"The depot is not some high security building. It's an administration office which has never been intended as a prison or detention centre," Mr Rizzo said.

He said the situation had become so desperate that at one point even schools were being considered as alternative premises to house illegal immigrants.

Sadly, a lack of proper documentation meant that repatriation proceedings took months to complete.

Mr Rizzo lashed out at the media for issuing what he described as incorrect statements or articles about the conditions under which the immigrants are being kept. For example, he vehemently defended the police corps' kitchen standards, and denied that the illegal immigrants were only given a litre of water to drink every day.

However, the police would not permit wastage, something which was prevalent among some of the detainees.

"We are really trying to deal with this problem, despite our obvious limitations," he said.

Mr Rizzo appealed to the public to call 2122 4001 if they saw anyone whom they suspected to be an illegal immigrant.