Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said this evening that the ministry and himself were determined to continue to work in the best interests of the people, and destructive attacks made against them only served to embolden them.

Speaking in parliament during the Budget debate, he said his ministry was achieving positive results, but unfortunately the opposition was trying to mask that good work through its negative campaigning also aimed at undermining his personal integrity.

Mistakes had been made, but they were remedied and the ministry would continue to work in line with the Labour electoral commitments.

Dr Mallia spoke briefly about the case involving a shooting by his personal driver.

The case, he said, rightly worried the people. Constructive criticism was useful for lessons to be learnt and for a repetition of the incident to be avoided.

However, he said, destructive criticism had also been made, particularly claims that he had tried to hide the truth.  He insisted that he never asked anyone to hide any fact, and he would speak more on this case when the House debated the Opposition’s motion of no confidence in him.

It was clear, he said, that the Opposition wanted him to go. But he was in politics to serve. He used to be much better paid in his legal profession but he had opted for politics to serve.

In the 1980s he battled abuse and public violence and now as minister responsible for national security, he would not accept a return to that time.

His appeal to the opposition was for honesty. They knew his credentials, they knew his integrity. What had happened in the Sheenhan case was certainly nothing which he would have wanted, he said. He was always honest, even when he spoke about possession of €500,000 at home. The least he expected was for the opposition to be equally honest.     

Dr Mallia in his speech spoke briefly about every department in his ministry.  

When he spoke on the police, he said the time had engaged an external information officer to help the corps. The time had also come to set up a prosecutions office and more specialised personnel for complex financial and forensic cases.

He said that he had issued orders for all transfers to be accompanied by reasons for the move in the context of the needs of the force. Transfers could not be made just for the convenience of whoever was concerned.

The police, he said, had beefed up their presence in areas they were particularly needed, like Paceville, St Julian’s, Sliema and Msida. He strongly believed in community policing and new police stations had been opened, such as at Swieqi and Pieta and a mobile station in Marsascala. Another mobile station would be opened in Paceville.

He praised the police for its work, particularly in detecting major drug rings and finding the misappropriation of €6m by a financial services firm. He also praised the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Cyber Crimes Unit, the ALE and the Police Academy, among other sections.

Dr Mallia highlighted how uniformed personnel would be able to join the trade union of their choice.  A new compensation procedure had been ushered in for those injured on duty. 120 policemen were injured on duty in the past two years.

He praised the army for its varied work, particularly those on migration patrol.

With regard to opposition criticism on appointments, he said injustices of the past were being corrected, but no new injustices were being caused.

He underlined how the AFM had bought a brand new, twin engined helicopter with night vision capabilities, and said a second helicopter would be delivered shortly. Several barracks and facilities

He said several officers were serving abroad. A Maltese team was part on an EU operation to train Libyan security personnel. Following the recent unrest, however, the mission moved to Tunisia. Officers were also serving in a monitoring mission in Ukraine, and a Frontex operation in Greece. Malta would also participate in the EU's Triton rescue mission in the Mediterranean. 

Dr Mallia also spoke on plans for new quarters for the Civil Protection Department and a new fire station in the south of Malta.