The police force is to have three deputy police commissioners, Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said this evening.

He said in parliament that the deputy commissioners would have different duties and would give a new style to the leadership of the police force

He was replying to questions by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, who also pointed out that the metropolitan police in London only have one deputy commissioner and Hong Kong has two.

Dr Azzopardi asked why the minister had made no statement about the fact that a prisoner had tested positive for drugs, another had ingested 60 steroid tablets and a third had attempted suicide.

Dr Mallia said the MP, through his statement, may have hampered police investigations.

He reiterated his determination to stamp out drug abuse at the prisons and said the prison authorities would be investing in 10 or 11 dozen sniffer dogs. Contrary to the past, sniffer dogs would not be kept at the prisons, where they became pets. They would be held elsewhere and would be taken to the prisons on surprise raids.

The minister also referred to the killing of cats in Mosta. He said the police were investigating the case through all means, including engaging a psychologist to gauge the mind of the culprit.