The Home Affairs Minister thinks it's time to reevaluate police admission requirements. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

It is time for Malta’s police force to revise its height requirement for new recruits, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela told parliament today.

The minister said that several other European countries had scrapped height restrictions, and that the Maltese government was open to revising current rules.

Under current regulations, male police officers must be at least 1.68m tall when barefoot. Female officers must be a minimum of 1.58m tall.

Dr Abela also informed PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami that regulations precluded people with “excessive” tattoos or body piercings from joining the force. There was no specific policy in place for cases in which former officers were reinstated, he said.

Nevertheless, the minister said, new recruits or officers being reinstated into the force had to be given a clean bill of health by a police doctor, the minister explained.

“If the doctor has concerns about that person’s tattoos, they are obliged to raise these in their reports,” Dr Abela said, adding that it was then up to the Police Commissioner to decide whether or not to accept the recruit in question.

Existing officers found to have “excessive” or “visible” tattoos could be subject to disciplinary proceedings and ordered to remove the tattoos, the minister added.