The valiance and vigilance shown by police officers were yesterday commended during the force’s yearly award ceremony.
Your diligence this year has shown that you’re police officers 24/7
Among those applauded for their acts, traffic policeman Robert Vassallo was named best police officer of the year.
Eritrean Mustafa Mohamed is still alive because PC Vassallo and his colleague Josef Vassallo rescued him from the rough sea near the Sliema pitch on August 11.
Then, in October, 37-year old PC Vassallo caught a pickpocket in St George’s Bay, St Julians. And while off duty just a week later, he arrested two young men who were stealing gas cylinders from front gardens in Attard. The robbers had been behind a spate of cylinder thefts from various localities.
Several other officers were yesterday congratulated for their bravery while off duty.
Among them was Charles Parnis, who, in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on August 2, rescued a 58-year-old man who could not swim.
Another traffic policeman, Alexander Mizzi, helped a four-month pregnant woman stuck in a car get out of her vehicle which had just crashed into an electricity pole.
Yesterday’s ceremony, which was dedicated to officers who have passed away over the past year, coincided with the Church’s celebration of the Lord’s Epiphany. Chaplain Raymond Bonnici prayed for the souls of the deceased, among which were numerous ex-officers and four young policemen.
One of these was 21-year old Constable Kurt Gauci who died on December 2 when his car plunged into the sea at Ċirkewwa, after he apparently took the wrong turning when boarding the Gozo ferry.
Following a minute of silence in remembrance of his former colleagues, Police Commissioner John Rizzo said last year had been a difficult one in which numerous police officers went beyond the call of duty.
“You’re not police officers only when you wear the uniform. Your diligence this year has shown that you’re police officers 24/7. I feel honoured to have you in the Police Force,” he said.
Commissioner Rizzo extended his gratitude to the Valletta police district which was yesterday awarded for the 15 per cent drop in crime in the capital city.
He also praised the work carried out by the St Julians district police officers, despite the criticism they had received over the past year.
“Reportage about the police institution should be more constructive, because only honest criticism helps us fix our faults,” he said.
Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said the island’s crime rate had fallen.
Also emphasising that reportage should be fair, he called for patience so that the police would be able to carry out their investigations in an environment free of speculation.