Superintendent's tribute to policemen murdered while on duty

Murder exerts a fascination over people of most ages and backgrounds, and sometimes it is hard to understand the reality of murder and the multitude of emotions associated with it.

What happens when the victim is a policeman, a person who has the task of upholding the law and protecting citizens from crime?

Policemen murdered in the line of duty is the topic of Superintendent Raymond Zammit's first book, Meta Jibki l-Korp, published on the occasion of the corps' 190th anniversary, which fell on July 12.

Published by Printwell Ltd, the book is a tribute to murdered policemen, those who lost their lives during the Second World War and those who died in work-related accidents. It is also a tribute to the victims' families.

The narrative is chronicled through interviews with the victims' families and discusses the effect of murder and how families view the police corps after the tragedy. The murder of traffic warden Fortunata Spiteri is also mentioned. Supt Zammit noted that this was the first tragedy to hit wardens and he hopes that history will not be repeated.

Supt Zammit, who has been in the corps for 28 years, believes that younger policemen, new recruits and the public should know about this aspect of police history. New recruits should also be aware of what they could go through. Most of all, he believes that the book is a sign of respect to the victims and their families. To him, respect is paramount.

Supt Zammit also hopes that through this book, the victims' families can give a message to the criminal and that the criminal will hopefully think of the consequences before committing another crime. This book will also help bring the public closer to the police.

Supt Zammit believes that there is a lot of police history that remains to be discovered and it is important that people who have related information come forward. Yet, documenting history is not always an easy task. Supt Zammit admits that emotionally this book was not easy to write, especially when interviewing victims' families and reopening so many wounds.

Supt Zammit, who has a vast knowledge of criminology and police history, is currently working on two other books. One deals with unsolved crimes and the other discusses sentenced criminals, their psychology and how society reacts to them. The book will also discuss whether society is winning the fight against crime.