A women’s rights group lashed out at Police Commissioner John Rizzo for what it felt were “discouraging” remarks he made about women working in the force during a radio interview earlier this month.

In the interview on Radio Malta, Mr Rizzo said although women officers were important in the force, “women also pose a challenge to the administration when they ask for maternity leave, reduced hours and lighter duties”.

In spite of pointing out he did not want to be misinterpreted, as women did a better job in certain sections, his comments did not go down well with the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations.

“These statements denigrate women’s important roles in society both as workers and as mothers,” the confederation said.

It added that such declarations discouraged women from remaining in the workplace as they felt they were a burden to their colleagues and the administration.

Mr Rizzo’s attitude contrasted with the efforts women made to meet family and work responsibilities, according to the confederation. His remarks were not in line with government policy to increase the number of women in the labour market. The confederation said Malta had the lowest participation rate in the EU of women in the labour market, standing at 38 per cent. At 51 per cent, the country also had the highest inactivity rate of women aged between 25 and 54 years, which was more than double the EU rate of 22 per cent.

The Police Force employs about 1,920 officers with nearly every one in five being women, making it the largest public entity that employs women in the country.

While congratulating the force for having attracted so many women, the confederation encouraged the enforcement of new appropriate management skills to bring it in line with the important work women officers were carrying out.

It called for a holistic approach which supported parents to continue participating in the labour market.

“Our society continues to find it difficult to understand that having babies, raising a family and continuing to participate in the labour market is not just about being a mother and father,” it said, pointing out it was also about women’s contribution to the well-being of the whole community.