The Police Commissioner has remained tight-lipped on an order he received from a magistrate to investigate the behaviour of two officers stationed at the St Julian’s police station over possible “excessive use of force”.

Despite successive reminders, questions sent three weeks ago to Police Commissioner John Rizzo on the matter remained unanswered.

The Sunday Times reported a fortnight ago that Magistrate Francesco Depasquale ordered an inquiry into possible use of excessive force by policemen stationed at the St Julian’s Police Station.

The order came as the magistrate threw out a criminal case instituted by the officers against a 27-year-old man who, they said, threatened them while they were carrying out their duties.

Magistrate Depasquale said the court was “convinced” this had not taken place as they claimed and that the police “may have used excessive force”. The case revolves around an incident on March 19 in St Julian’s, when McDonald’s staff asked the man to leave because, they claimed, he was raising his voice.

The police were called in and two officers arrived: constable 80, Stephen Mercieca, and constable 781, Anthony Zammit. The court heard the man walked out of the restaurant as soon as the police requested him to do so. Once on the pavement, he and the two officers, who were joined by others from the nearby station, were involved in what witnesses called a “commotion”, with the man ending up on the ground beneath several policemen as they tried to arrest him.

He was subsequently charged with threatening the two officers while they were carrying out their duties, breaching the peace and refusing to provide police with his details.