It was May 6 in Parliament when Opposition home affairs spokesman Jason Azzopardi asked why police training in the use of firearms had been stopped.

In the intense exchange that followed with Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, the Nationalist Party MP then asked whether the minister would shoulder responsibility if lack of training led to a police officer shooting an innocent bystander by mistake.

Dr Mallia had replied by accusing Dr Azzopardi of scaremongering, insisting that accidents could happen even if someone had basic training.

Dr Mallia said: “Now, this is childish... you interpret all this negatively and spin it – and here I give you credit because you are a first-class spinner – to the point that if an accident does happen...

“You will quote chapter and verse that in Parliament you had already forewarned Minister Mallia this would happen because of lack of training.”

Six months down the line, although not exactly an accident as suggested by Dr Azzopardi, the Home Affairs Minister has found himself in hot water over a trusted police officer’s illicit use of a weapon.