Appointing a woman to the role of assistant commissioner contributes to the shattering of the glass ceiling, Alexandra Mamo, who has just been appointed to the role, believes. But insists there was plenty more to be done.

“There is equality in the force but while other places have made huge leaps, here it seems to have progressed at a slower pace,” Ms Mamo, 51, told the Times of Malta.

She believes this is due to the perception stemming from society’s long-held view that men were more suited for a police job, not excluding from those within the police force.

“It’s not that men look down on women, or at least I cannot say that I have experienced instances when that happened to me.

“Male officers experience the same struggles as females but there is the mentality that women might be weaker. That should change,” she said.

As a woman, Ms Mamo went on, she did feel that once some of the barriers are shattered, more women would be able to make their way up the ranks, as was the case with her promotion.

Focus on an effective plan for Paceville as well as cutting down pick-pocketing rates

Ms Mamo, together with nine other superintendents, were promoted to the role, bringing the total number of assistant commissioners, the third highest rank in the force, to 12.

This is also the highest number of assistant commissioners in the force’s history.

On why it took such a long time for a woman to be appointed to the role, Ms Mamo reiterated that it was most likely due to the culture both within the force and outside it.

Ms Mamo has been assigned the district that includes both Sliema and St Julian’s and while admitting that the areas are crime hotspots, she was not one to shy away from a challenge and was already thinking of plans she would implement to address the issues in both localities.

Her focus would mainly be on ensuring an effective plan for Paceville as well as cutting down pick-pocketing rates.

On the approach she will be taking with her subordinates, Ms Mamo said that she will be implementing an open-door policy, encouraging anyone with a problem to approach her.

She would also not be shying away from taking action against those officers who might not have carried out their job properly, Ms Mamo went on, yet also insisted on the importance of commending those who did a good job.

“The work has increased and the type of crimes being committed has also changed while there has not been a significant in-crease in the number of recruits over the years.

“So, the task is not an easy one but if an officer fails to do the job well, I will make sure that they understand what went wrong and that they have learnt from the mistake,” she went on.

While encouraging people to come forward with any shred of information they deemed useful, she also lambasted those who criticised officers on social media, especially if the criticism was unwarranted.

“If there is something wrong, I want to know about it so by all means people should come forward. But if the social media is used to mock the force than that is simply not on and it will not serve to help us in any way,” Ms Mamo said.

On whether she aspired to continue making her way up the ranks, Ms Mamo said that while she was a very ambitious person, her immediate focus was that of slashing crime rates in Sliema and St Julian’s.