Saturday, 6th September 2008
Refuse collector spots inert hand grenade in scammel
Alarmed police officers evacuated the Birkirkara police station and military explosive experts were called in after a refuse collector approached the reception desk holding what looked like a hand grenade, which later turned out to be inert.
The man spotted the grenade in a scammel and decided to take it to the police station in Triq il-Kbira to be eventually displayed in a museum, the police said.
But the alarmed officer at the reception desk immediately alerted the Armed Forces of Malta's Explosives Ordinance Unit (EOU) and instructed all officers present to evacuate the building.
The police station is situated close to President Eddie Fenech Adami's private residence.
EOU personnel were soon on site and inspected the grenade, establishing that it did not contain any explosive material. The police officers were then allowed back in and continued with their duties. The refuse collector was held for further questioning.
Sources said the grenade was most probably World War II memorabilia, thrown away by somebody.
Such inert grenades are often used for training purposes, mainly when practising how to lob them into enemy positions.
They are popular among service personnel, often used as paper weights.
Security sources recommended that any suspicious object should not be touched or handled by the finder, regardless of whether it looks like an explosive device or not.
This too applies to any abandoned luggage in or around an air terminal.
Such items are always to be treated as suspect until they are properly taken care of and defused by explosives experts.
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Comments
From what I can read I can only say one thing. You guys dont know what you are talking about. Drydocks persons cannot be compared to policemen or any other army men. You got paid for what you were doing. As for these gentlemen who "vocationally" chose their path of life as policemen, one cannot but pity their situation. It is now that the police force has fallen under the government legislation. Previously, the force was under the hands of the president.
25 years of service is more then enough for these men and women who risk their lives, listen to your stories and try to help out the citizens.
What do they get in return? UNGRATEFUL statements from Charles Camilleri...just because he thinks that by working in the drydocks, he was one of the elite and since under the MLP they always were "Soldiers", he thinks that he has served the country...all I can tell you is that you are actling like a "Bahri tal-bnazzi".
Get your stories straight mate.
We had a different problem back then; we have different problems now.
May I suggest that perhaps you might use a time-machine and go back to the years that you wish to continue remembering? I, for one, wish to forget them.
Heaven forbid that we should revert back to those dark old days. But equally stupid is the idea that for every complaint that we make, we try and force people to reminisce on 'darker days than these'.
The point that the gentleman was making is a simple one: the policemen should have already been paid for the work they did, way back in March. Full-stop, Mr Camilleri!
And as regards policemen's conditions, well , I think that we should let THEM speak, no? But we have to move with the times. What was adequate 20 years ago is no longer so today.