The police are awaiting the results of scientific tests before proceedings with the arraignment of a man who allegedly shot a flamingo in Salina a few weeks ago, Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit said today.

Speaking at a press conference on the world of the Police in the three months since his appointment, Commissioner Zammit said that he had issued a general amnesty for police officers who had been facing minor disciplinary offences.

He said today that three officers who had helped rush a woman to hospital to deliver a baby and an officer who broke open a car to rescue a baby have been given police certificates of recognition.

He said that there were 'ongoing developments' in investigations into two murders which took place in the past three months.

Mr Zammit said the force was being reorganised to face modern challenges.

He had ensured that the members of the police were deployed to the roles they were best at, to make use of their full potential. As a result, there were 224 transfers.

A further 22 officers will be reinstated during a ceremony tomorrow and he also intended introducing reserve constables, the commissioner said.

There was an ongoing process to promote officers ranging from sergeants to senior staff.

He said other work included the merging of the Mobile Squad and the Special Assignment Group into the Rapid Response Unit, a team of 165 officers with more vehicles on the roads than before.

Today this unit managed to intervene within an average of five minutes after the alarm was raised, and the aim was to get on the scene within three minutes.

In Gozo, the CID team had been increased by eight people and as a consequence, since April, 14 drug trafficking arrests were made.

The Commissioner said he had worked to improve media relations that included launching a Facebook page as he had felt that police must not be cut off from society.

Speaking about the general amnesty, he said it applied for minor offences, such as not shaving or turning up late. About 150 officers benefited. 

He had also issued orders that allowed policemen to remove their hat while driving and allowing more flexibility in the change-over to summer uniform, depending on weather rather than calendar.

He said the building of the new Police Academy at Ta' Kandia was in an advanced stage. A new board was set up within the academy and the training schedule was being revised as well as the recruitment courses for inspectors and constables. The inspector recruitment was being done in collaboration with the university.

Part of the work centered around irregular immigration. He said the police had processed 905 migrants and provided them with some form of documentation.

He insisted that negative discrimination, racism and xenophobia would not be tolerated.

Asked about permits for demonstrations he said that it was unlawful to spread racist feelings. Permit applications would be evaluated in this context.