Disciplinary action will be taken against the few in the police force who were disloyal and were breaking their oath of office by leaking certain documents to which they had access because of their rank, Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia told Parliament yesterday.

Winding up the debate in second reading of the Bill giving the right to members of disciplined forces to join a trade union, Dr Mallia said Opposition members seemed to have different opinions on the issue, with the main spokesman seemingly inclined not to favour the idea of the police and the army personnel joining any union.

He said that, on the contrary, the Labour Party had been clear from the beginning on the right of such members to affiliate themselves with a union of their choice and had presented it as an electoral proposal.

The House would be discriminating if it did not grant this right, including the right of members to form their own house union.

He said that ,although the debate seemed to concentrate on the Police Force, the Bill included members of the Armed Forces of Malta, the Security Service, the Civil Protection Department, the Corradino Correctional Facility and the detention services.

The government was confident that these people were responsible enough to make their own choices.

Dr Mallia criticised the previous administration which, in 25 years in government, did not find the time to legislate on this issue, leaving Malta, together with Cyprus, as the only two countries in the EU not having granted this right.

He also denied he had only met the Police Association once, adding that he had had several meetings with its president when various issues had been raised.

He also met the Civil Protection Committee several times and in the near future he would be presenting a Bill proposed by them. He added that the indications were that civil protection personnel seemed in favour of setting up of a house union.

Dr Mallia also referred to an incident involving a newspaper reporter during the opening of a mobile police station in Marsacala. The reporter did not ask a single question about the event but asked about other matters.

He said the temporary mobile station was technologically equipped until a suitable building was found to substitute the present one, which was in a sorry state with the roof crumbling.

The station was an example of the service the police intended to give inhabitants.

He also mentioned the opening of the new police station in Swieqi and the public consultations held in various localities including Sliema, Pembroke, Swieqi, St Julian’s and St Paul’s Bay.

There was now better surveillance against crime in the Sliema area. These public consultations proved a success and he had been given positive feedback.

The government would stick to local police stations in future because a study carried out recently on setting up regional stations showed that it was better to have local ones.

The government was also in talks with a foreign government to acquire assistance in modernising the forensic laboratory, which had also been left in a sorry state by the previous administration, Dr Mallia said.

The Bill was unanimously approved by MPs.