Jason Azzopardi, the Opposition spokesman on home affairs, said he was satisfied that his private member’s Bill to amend the Civil Code had passed the second reading by a unanimous vote, sending a clear message of zero tolerance towards all violence on public officials.
Winding up the debate on the Bill, Dr Azzopardi said the situation had become all the more serious as such cases had risen from 117 in 2007 to 208 in 2011. Within a fortnight, two people had been arraigned in court on charges of threatening and/or injuring a public official.
Dr Azzopardi pointed out that this did not mean a public official’s behaviour could not be criticised, but there were ways and means of doing this. It was not legitimate criticism that was up for discussion but rather instances when force was used.
A public official did not mean just police officers but included educators, social workers, nurses, doctors and psychologists. The cases of violence against them were on the rise and the penalties being handed out were not enough to act as a deterrent.
He recalled a number of cases in the Criminal Appeals Court, where harsher penalties had been given, and questioned whether one had to wait for the appeal stage for justice to be done with these public officials.
This Bill sent the message that the State cared, offering public officials peace of mind as they went about their duties. Next year would mark 200 years since the police force had been set up, and this law would send a message of appreciation, Mr Azzopardi said.
Earlier, Joe Cassar (PN) pointed out to the “unfortunate” shifts in attitudes in Maltese society towards authority and noted how teachers were being bullied, threatened and physically attacked in schools.
This intimidation would result in teachers not being able to carry out their duties properly. This undermining of public officials was detrimental to everyone and would negatively affect the public.
Civil compensation to the victim should also reflect the seriousness of the crime.
Anthony Agius Decilis (PL) said the protection of those who were giving a public service should also be extended to volunteers, both lay people and members of the clergy, because they too were giving a service to the public. More investment needed to be made in education so that the value and dignity of work was given its due importance.
Ċensu Galea (PN) said public officials who at times were attacked while carrying out their duty included traffic wardens.
Civil compensation to the victim should also reflect the seriousness of the crime
People accused in court of committing violence against public officials have increased over the years. Was the time ripe to consider politicians as public officials because of incidents of bullying?
He said students who bul-lied others at school had to be identified early to avoid the repetition of such incidents later in life. The same applied to people behaving badly on the football pitch. Expenditure on inclusion should be considered as an investment from which society would benefit.
Carmelo Abela (PL) said it was positive to send the message, through the harsher penalties, that violent acts would no longer be tolerated because there was no room for excusing such behaviour. It all boiled down to respect, both for one another and for authority.
Any conflict that arose could not be solved by aggression or conflict but through respect and discussion.
Mr Abela said that so far as he knew there were no statistics for certain cases. Educators sometimes took the view that in reporting such cases they might aggravate an already serious situation and would not want to increase any difficulties the child may be experiencing.
He appealed for a change in attitude and urged parents to establish good relationships with their children’s educators and to understand their situations.