Former police investigator Jonathan Ferris and his family should be given full police protection, the co-initiator of an MEP mission to Malta has insisted.

Green MEP Sven Giegold said the delegation was concerned to learn that Mr Ferris fears for the safety of himself and his family.

Mr Ferris was sacked after the June general election, with the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit claiming the former police inspector performed below expectations while denying it was politically motivated. Mr Ferris had been investigating allegations of money laundering related to claims by a former Pilatus Bank employee.

In a statement after a visit to Malta, Mr Giegold said Mr Ferris had made an important contribution to the MEPs' fact-finding mission.

"The leader of our delegation Ana Gomez asked the police immediately in our name to provide police protection for Ferris and his family. Now I am shocked to learn that he is still only protected during the night through one policeman sitting in a car while the protection during the day is only limited to infrequent patrols."

Mr Giegold, who has been scathing in his criticism of the Maltese government did not mince his words and said the last thing Malta needed was a dead whistleblower after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

"What else has to happen in Malta so that the government seriously takes threats to exposed persons?"