A photograph taken by Stephen Busuttil during Police Day last July was chosen as the best of 18,500 photos from 53 countries.

Mr Busuttil originally took these pictures to produce a panel of 20 images of our police force activities to gain the Higher Level of Distinction which a photographer can get: (Fellowship Distinction) of the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) UK, and of the MIPP (Malta Institute of Professional Photography) which he achieved last November.

One of the images was then sent to the SWPP to compete for the Press and PR category. This powerful image not only won the Press and PR category but also the overall title, that of International Photographer of the Year 2006.

This is the second time that a Maltese photographer has won such a prestigious award since the SWPP came to Malta just over a year ago. A similar title was also won in 1998 by Albert de Marco, but with the MPA. As part of his prize Mr Busuttil has been invited to the Canary Islands in 2008 to lecture at Phototraining Overseas, an international congress attended by over 1,000 photographers from all over the world.