Police officer Simon Schembri was met with a long standing ovation on Sunday morning as he walked up to collect the Officer of the Year title during the force’s annual award-giving ceremony.
The 48-year-old traffic policeman lost an arm last year when he was dragged several metres under a car in a hit-and-run after he tried to stop 17-year-old Liam Debono, who was over-speeding in a Mercedes. The youth stands charged with attempted murder and is out on bail after pleading not guilty to the charges.
Mr Schembri was also awarded a certificate of appreciation for his work.
Speaking during the event, Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar said that Mr Schembri was not awarded the title only because of the accident, but also for his work after that, including his work with the newly-set up Simon Schembri Blue Light Foundation, which offers psychological as well as financial support to first responders.
This year marks the first time in 13 years that the officer of the year was selected after the members of the force themselves nominated their peers.
“This is my favourite event because not only do we recognise those who went above and beyond in their work but also because it gives me the opportunity to meet ex-colleagues,” the Commissioner went on.
During the event, apart from the award to Mr Schembri, a number of police officers were also handed certificates for work that stood out last year. A good number of these, the Commissioner noted, succeeded in stopping people who were close to committing suicide. A number of others were also handed certificates for their efforts to help cut down criminality.
The Valletta and Floriana District was also handed an award for cutting down crime in the area by 23 per cent, the highest when compared to all others districts.
On his part, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia, who also attended the event, also commended Mr Schembri for his resilience after the devastating accident. According to the minister, latest figures he received recently showed that the crime rate went down by 14.2 per cent in 2018 when compared to the previous year. He also referred to a study by Eurostat which showed that trust in the police had shot up in recent months.