Opposition home affairs spokesman Michael Falzon this morning called for an increase in the number of prison warders, saying that the last intake was in 2005 and the ratio of prisoners to wardens had since then widened considerably.

Speaking at a press conference outside the prisons in Corradino, Dr Falzon described the situation at the prisons as 'precarious', adding that at times, in certain divisions, there were 50 prisoners to one or two warders.

The prisons, he added, needed an improved management structure, and he questioned why the Director was in charge of everything.

The Labour spokesman also asked what action had been taken by the authorities followed an allegation that a prisoner was growing cannabis in his cell.

Drug abuse at the prisons was a worrying problem, Dr Falzon said. This was also recognised by the government, to the extent that prisoners who underwent drug rehabilitation became eligible for parole, because of fear that staying at the prison would lead them back to drug-taking.

In other points of his press conference, Dr Falzon criticised the police authorities after it was revealed in court that statements given by three people about alleged drug trafficking at Mt Carmel Hospital were lost. The accused person was subsequently acquitted of that charge in court. 

He said the police Prosecution Unit, now called the Legal Unit, needed to be reinforced.

Turning to Paceville, Dr Falzon renewed his call for the deployment of specially trained policemen, such as policemen trained in crowd control, and said that a police station should be set up in a central location. 

On the recent rioters by migrants at Safi detention centre, Dr Falzon said the absence of a clear chain of command was clear. Furthermore, he said, there had been arrogance by some army officers.