Police have first woman superintendent

Two new assistant police commissioners and nine superintendents, including the first woman to make it to that rank, were appointed yesterday.

The appointments were presented by Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg in a ceremony at the officers' mess in the presence of Police Commissioner John Rizzo (picture).

Superintendents Paul Debattista and Paul Sammut were appointed assistant commissioners.

AC Debattista, who has worked in the vice squad, various districts and the Special Branch, will now be responsible for the drug squad. He takes some of the burden from Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar, who will continue to head the fraud and vice squads.

AC Sammut, who has served in various districts and with the CID, has been put in charge of region B: Sliema, Hamrun, Mosta and Gozo districts.

The new superintendents are former inspectors Peter Paul Zammit, Neil Harrison, Neville Xuereb, Alexander Gatt, Alexandra Mamo, Edward Mangion, Pio Pisani and Paul Camilleri.

Supt. Zammit has been stationed with the prosecutions unit, Supt. Mangion with the department of international relations, Supt. Pisani at the Police Academy and Supt. Camilleri has been put in charge of the Gozo district.

The others have retained their current assignments: Supt. Harrison at the drug squad, Supt. Xuereb at the immigration branch, Supt. Gatt at the Corradino Correctional Facility and Supt. Mamo at the economic crimes and vice unit.