The honour of uniform

Have you ever given some consideration about why uniforms are worn? The simple answer would be: to distinguish that person with a mission from another who feels free in administering his duties. He carries no burden of a uniform.

My late father spent most of his life in the Royal Navy and then the Merchant Navy. I was about to be brought up wearing a Royal Air Force uniform when in 1957 I was inducted as a apprentice fitter at the RAF's No. 1 School of Technical Training, Halton, Bucks.

However, that was not to be for I swiftly reverted to being a school teacher. Yet my dad's smart uniform of a Naval Chief Petty Officer must have lured me into joining the Malta Police Force in 1958 as a constable and rose through the ranks to Senior Inspector.

Wearing a uniform may, to some, feel like a burden because they stand out from the rest: army personnel, Civil Protection personnel, hospital, bank, hotel and cinema staff. What about religious orders, males and females, and priests? Do we still give these servers of the Lord their due as we used to in the past? Do we appreciate enough that policemen are constantly in our line of vision and they are ever ready to uphold the rule of law?

The newly appointed 135 policemen deserve the esteem of all citizens and likewise they are expected to reciprocate by conducting themselves in a proper manner, even off duty. As the Malta Police motto goes: Domine Dirige Nos. Good luck to all of them.