He served as Acting Police Commissioner for six months, but Ray Zammit’s name has been left out of the official list of commissioners in the corps’ 200-year history, prompting him to question the omission.

A plaque at the entrance of the police headquarters in Floriana has Michael Cassar, who succeeded Mr Zammit earlier this month, stepping into the post straight after Peter Paul Zammit, even though the latter’s tenure came to an end in July. 

Sources told Times of Malta that the former Acting Commissioner was so irked by his name’s omission from the plaque that he sought an explanation from his superior. He was told that acting commissioners did not qualify to be included in the list. 

Mr Zammit might consider himself unlucky as this rule does not seem to apply in the case of Malta’s heads of state. Both Paul Xuereb and Albert Hyzler are included in the official list of presidents of Malta in the government’s official portal (www. gov.mt), even though they were only acting presidents - Dr Hyzler for a month and a half. 

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POLICE REACTION

In a reaction this afternoon, the police said the plaque only listed those who served as actual Commissioners of Police and not those who were in an acting capacity.

The police said at least two other Acting Commissioners: Deputy Commissioner James Frendo Azzopardi and Deputy Commissioner Amadeo Inglott were given temporary charge of the force in 1919 and 1923 respectively. Neither of them have had their names engraved on the plaque as they were not subsequently confirmed as commissioners.

"In light of this, the Force has only remained constant and loyal to its traditions in the way commissioners are listed on the marble tablet at the entrance of its general headquarters."