Trapper 'bites policeman'

Police back-up had to be called in when a 72-year-old trapper bit a constable who tried to keep him from attacking a sergeant with a glass bottle yesterday morning in Delimara.

The police said the policemen, who form part of the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, were patrolling the nearby fields when they saw the trapper running away. They immediately gave chase and quickly caught up with him but the trapper still had some fighting spirit left in him and swung a glass bottle at the sergeant. The constable stepped in to restrain him but the trapper bit him, the police said.

The Mobile Squad was called in for assistance and the trapper and another 55-year-old man, both from Żejtun, were arrested. The police said the constable and trapper were later treated for slight injuries.

The Federation for Hunting and Conservation said in a statement last night that it had a completely different version of the accident to that reported in the media.

The federation added that it was investigating the incident before taking a position on the matter.

This, insofar as the issue concerns the conduct of the police officials and not the issues related to hunting and trapping.