If there is one institution in a democracy in which it is vital for the public to have full confidence, it is the police. Instead, there has been a series of unsettling developments which have seriously eroded the unquestioning trust we should have in it.
Early on in this administration there were the first signs of political intrusiveness, if one accepted the change of commissioner as par for the course. A proposal was made for high-ranking officers to start signing a performance agreement. The move was fought off by the Malta Police Association, which saw it as undermining police independence.
At around the same time, the reinstatement of some 80 officers, many of who had retired more than 15 or even 25 years ago, raised eyebrows. The measure ignored internal rules stating that only those who have been out of the force for less than 10 years could return. One seemingly bizarre reinstatement, after an 11-year absence, was made recently. It applied to an openly staunch Labourite who had derided the former police commissioner on Facebook. Suffering from serious mobility problems, he had been issued with the blue badge of those with permanent disability yet was strangely declared fit for police duties.
Typically of the dismissive manner in which the police tend to conduct their public relations, questions sent to the Police Commissioner about the matter remained unanswered.
Incidents like this would be bad enough, as they gnaw away at the high regard in which any police force ought to be held. But there is worse, much worse. In a leadership crisis of massive proportions, the corps now has its fifth chief in three years. Lawrence Cutajar, however, does not enjoy the confidence of the Opposition, which has called into question his integrity, citing his Facebook posts “full of government praise and foul language”. The mind boggles.
The previous commissioner, the promising Michael Cassar, resigned, purportedly for health reasons, under a cloud of failure to investigate the Panama allegations that have tainted the government’s highest echelons. And the public is still in the dark about the probe into the Gaffarena scandal, with its links to the OPM.
More recently, the police declared they had found no evidence to back allegations of fraud in connection with medical visas, made against a person of trust appointed by the OPM. Instead, the person who made the allegations is now himself under police investigation.
It is impossible to tell whether the investigating officers have gone to the lengths required by this serious case, but concerns have been raised about the speed of their conclusion, given the evidence published in the newspapers.
As if this whole situation is not bad enough, a consultant to government spoke a few weeks ago of a brain drain, a depletion of high-calibre officers needed to fill top posts. There must surely be plenty of mid-ranking policemen and woman left with potential to make outstanding seniorofficers. They must be nurtured and rewarded along the way.
Hopefully, imminent reforms will help revive waning police morale and public confidence. It is a good idea, for example, to farm out administrative duties – starting with a soon-to-be-appointed CEO – and put officers on the ground, where they are most needed.
But such reforms alone will not restore our faith that the police have full freedom to enforce the law without fear or favour – in practice, not theory. This is fundamentally important to citizens, especially those who may need protection from people in power, or their friends, or who may wish to pursue action against them.
Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela must make an important decision: to raise police trustworthiness, as a matter of priority and as a duty to the nation.