A man caught smoking inside a Paceville bar punched a rookie police officer in the face while trying to make his getaway last night, the president of the Police Officers' Union has said.
The smoker allegedly tried to run away when two police officers asked him to step outside, only to be caught after he bumped head-first into a promoter of a neighbouring gentleman's club.
As one of the officers grabbed hold of him, the man turned and punched him in the face, sending him tumbling down four steps. Despite the physical aggression, officers managed to arrest the man, POU president Sandro Camilleri told Times of Malta.
The punch had caused PC1479 slight injuries, Dr Camilleri said. The union official had first shared news of the incident in a Facebook post.
"Officers in St Julian's are constantly having to deal with problems of this nature," the POU president said, as he expressed regret at the fact that the police academy seemed resentful of the union.
"The academy refuses to grant us a single one-hour slot to hold an information session with new recruits to inform them of their rights," he said. "There seems to be a great deal of hatred towards the union and towards me personally."
The alleged aggressor is expected to be arraigned today, the POU president said, as he wished new police recruit PC1479 a speedy recovery and congratulated him for a job well done.