The vision of the police force is “for the public to trust us in ensuring a safe and secure society for everyone”, Angelo Gafà said in an interview with Times of Malta last week.

Trust that goes beyond the findings of surveys, however reliable they are, and that spreads across all ranks is an essential ingredient for a police force if it is to be an effective law enforcement agency.

The police commissioner was right when he said police work is nobody’s monopoly but must be done in partnership with the community.

In its fifth evaluation report on Malta, published last March, GRECO acknowledged that the increased public trust the police are enjoying could partly be due to “an intensified communication policy” with the public. The police commissioner’s interview with Times of Malta must fall within that policy.

That right sort of contact must go beyond the ‘official’ press releases issued by the communications and media relations unit or statements by the force’s civilian media coordinator.

An ‘open line of communication’ between the police force and society – whether individuals, NGOs or the media – is essential. This, especially, as Gafà rightly lays stress on ensuring that public trust in the police continues to grow.

For that to happen, the force and, more importantly, its top brass must make itself more accessible, even on sensitive cases.

It also means the police take society and the community they serve in their trust, always within the limits of the law.

There is a feeling the police commissioner was more accessible soon after he was first appointed four years ago. Ideally, contact between senior police officers and the media – as the best channel to reach as wide a section of the community as humanly possible – should be a matter of routine. A number of issues raised by the police commissioner in the interview should have ideally been addressed immediately they surfaced.

An ‘open line of communication’ is an efficient means to allow a discussion about actions and/or declarations by the police that may, at face value and, sometimes, even upon further reflection, appear to be suspicious. One or two such examples emerged from the interview.

Gafà explained that the fact he does not physically form part of the prosecution team in some high profile or sensitive case does not mean he would not ensure the police had a solid case and made all the right moves.

He also acknowledged that mistakes do happen, pointing out some are genuine “and others that are less genuine, and that’s where disciplinary action is taken”.

Both issues may require some debate, therefore, the need for more frequent briefings.

The more sensitive criminal cases that are reported or taken to court, the more the onus on the police to be seen to be doing their constitutional duties.

Gafà must bear in mind he is no longer the CEO – ensuring the police offer a trusted product that sells.

He is the police commissioner with all the responsibilities the law burdens him with. Society expects no less from him.

One-off interviews may help, though very little. The turmoil the rule of law is experiencing in the country demands he makes himself constantly available to the media to put the record straight in a convincing way. This is what we regularly see overseas.

The person heading such a sensitive institution as the police in a country facing one scandal after another needs to prove beyond any doubt that it isthe law, and only the law, that guides him.