Police officers have had time to "do their homework" and are prepared for the introduction of a law which gives suspects under interrogation the right to contact their lawyers, according to Police Commissioner John Rizzo.

He said the police "never resisted" the introduction of the law, which has been written in the Criminal Code for seven years but will only come into force on February 10.

"We were just a little concerned that its introduction would affect the police's rate of solving crime. We will follow what the law says and enforce it," he told The Sunday Times.

He added that the police had already started training and analysing the code of practice, but one had to wait and see to understand how this change would affect the police's job.

"We will bow our heads and do our utmost to ensure we follow the law in the most professional way."

Meanwhile, criminologist Jacqueline Azzopardi said she welcomed the introduction of the law and did not see why it should affect the rate of solving crime.

She said the police were very well trained, and although there was room for improvement they had spent the past seven years preparing for this law to come into force.

Leading criminal lawyer Giannella Caruana Curran said the law was a step in the right direction but there was still a long way to go since the law had been watered down with many other articles.

"There are a lot of 'ifs' involved and we still don't have the right for lawyers to be present during questioning, like other countries," she said, stressing that this law only means suspects have a right to "ask to consult" a lawyer for half-an-hour.

"Anyone of us can be interrogated, so I think it is in everyone's interest for things to be done rightly and fairly. And since there have always been doubts about how statements are taken, and since a word and a comma can make so much difference, I still don't understand why this is not allowed. A lawyer should be present to see that things are done properly and that what is being said is what is truly being reproduced."

Dr Caruana Curran said she would also like to see a law related to disclosure, meaning that police would have to inform a suspect during questioning of the evidence they had against him.

"Otherwise, what can a lawyer advise you about if you don't know anything?"

She also disagreed with the fact that suspects who take legal advice and choose to remain silent can have that used against them as "inference of guilt" in court.

"To be honest, I can't understand why they took so long to put it into force," she said, questioning whether the changes would make much difference.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com