Reiterating the government’s commitment to settling a drawn-out dispute over unpaid overtime to police officers, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said yesterday the amount had still to be agreed upon.

He would not give a categorical reply when asked whether a solution was near, saying the government had three more years to find a solution.

Mr Abela was replying to questions by Times of Malta during a news conference at the Żejtun police station marking the start of a consultation process as part of plans to revamp the force. The reform is set to be launched early next year and the idea is to recruit and beef up the force with an additional 100 officers in the coming months.

In 2009, about 1,500 officers had filed a judicial protest against the Commissioner of Police claiming compensation for unpaid overtime, which they claimed went back to 1993. The outstanding sum was reportedly €11 million.

The government has three more years to find a solution

Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi had dismissed the request as baseless in June 2012. While the PN government subsequently gave policemen a pay increase, including a one-time payment of between €1,000 and €1,900 to each officer, the Labour Party pledged in its 2013 general election manifesto to address the issue through “adequate” compensation.

Mr Abela was also asked yesterday whether any progress had been registered over a dispute about performance agreements for the three highest ranking officers. The Malta Police Association last year filed a judicial protest claiming that such arrangements undermined the independence and integrity of the force.

Mr Abela said the government was open to ideas for how to implement the agreement and if no solution was found other options would be considered.

On the planned reform, he acknowledged that a number of police stations, including at St Julian’s – the perennial crime capital – were too small to cope with the demand. The government would see how to increase police presence in certain localities that are not adequately served, Mr Abela said.

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