Former Police Commissioner John Rizzo strongly denies that police officers under his watch ever took foreign cadets to swim using official police boats.

Mr Rizzo, who now heads the Civil Protection Department, told Times of Malta: “This never happened under my watch and if something similar came to my attention I would have initiated immediate disciplinary action.

“It is not true this used to happen in the past. If it used to happen, then it was something unauthorised and I didn’t know about it,” he insisted.

“Since when do police officers take a break while on patrol? Who gave the members of the police force the authority to take off their uniforms,” an irate Mr Rizzo said when contacted.

A furore was caused last week by photos of women sunbathing in bikinis on two police rigid inflatable boats in Għadira.

In its initial statement the police had played down the incident, saying those on board formed part of a group of German police on an attachment programme.

It said that as “has always been the practice, if they wish, the officers are given the chance of swimming during their break”. This was something that had been taking place for the past 10 years, according to the statement.

However, the Home Affairs Ministry immediately demanded an official explanation and described the incident as “unbefitting of the police”.

The four police officers manning the dinghy were later reprimanded by Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit.

Reacting, Mr Rizzo said: “No swimming in bikinis was ever authorised during the 11 years I spent at the helm of the force and only sea patrols were authorised.” Asked to comment on Mr Rizzo’s denial, the Police Commissioner said that while what had happened was “unauthorised”, similar things used to take place in the past. “Do you want similar photos of past years?” he asked.

Making it clear he did not want to tarnish anyone’s reputation, the Police Commissioner said he wanted to make sure that if these unauthorised practices happened under his or his predecessor’s command, “they have to stop”.

The former home affairs minister, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, also denied that similar incidents took place under his tenure or in the past 10 years.

Meanwhile, high-ranking police officers yesterday complained to this newspaper about the way the issue was handled.

“These police officers were detailed to do what they did and we can’t understand why all this fuss just because the photos appeared in the media,” he said.

“Are we going to discipline those officers who were recently detailed to act as waiters?” he asked.

“Perhaps this was OK once no photos of police waiting on the minister were published in newspapers,” he complained.

During a recent banquet hosted by the Home Affairs Ministry to honour those attending an international conference of the European Broadcasting Union at Girgenti Palace, the catering was prepared by the police kitchen and some 25 police officers served the food during the event.

The police had defended this decision saying the officers had offered their services on a voluntary basis and were paid extra.