Updated 10.55am

A police superintendent has been suspended after allegedly stealing a pair of boots from the Floriana headquarters, Times of Malta has learnt.

The officer, who holds one of the most senior ranks in the force, was a quartermaster. The alleged theft happened last week and she was suspended immediately.

Speaking to Times of Malta, the superintendent said she was merely replacing a faulty pair of boots.

"I still cannot understand how I was accused of theft and suspended over that," she said. 

Sources close to the police said the boots cost “less than €100” but that did not diminish the seriousness of the action. Officers must be held accountable nonetheless, no matter their rank, they said.

“A constable would have been suspended for taking a pair of shoes, so why shouldn’t a superintendent be treated the same way?” one source said.

“Simply being in a more senior position should not protect anyone. Rather, it should be even more of a reason to lead by example. How can we expect the young officers to do the right thing if they see their superiors doing the wrong thing without consequences?”

The police quartermaster is responsible for managing and distributing equipment and uniforms within the police force. They typically track inventory, order new supplies and ensure that officers receive the proper equipment and that it is in good working order.

It is understood the pair of boots was stolen from among the police uniform supplies.

The motivation behind the alleged theft remains unclear and it is yet to be determined whether the superintendent will be subject to criminal prosecution or internal disciplinary action.

'I took a pair to replace my faulty boots'

Times of Malta spoke to the superintendent on Monday, who said she did not steal the boots but merely replaced a pair of faulty ones she was given by the force a few weeks earlier.

She explained she was one of several officers who were handed new boots that turned out to have faulty soles. Officers who were given the faulty boots began to report having slipped or almost slipped while on duty, which is why the force decided to reclaim the consignment.

An internal circular was issued to all members of the Force to go to the quartermaster with their faulty boots to be replaced with a new pair of another brand, she said.

"As quartermaster, officers were instructed to come to me with their faulty boots so I would replace them and that's what we did," she said.

"Since I was also one of the affected officers, I also took a pair to replace my faulty ones. I still cannot understand how I was accused of theft and suspended over that."

In recent years, the police force has been fairly heavy-handed with officers who broke the rules, were found positive for illicit substances or were suspected of criminal activity.

Last month, Times of Malta revealed that a police officer from the Special Intervention Unit (SIU) was suspended after testing positive for cocaine, weeks after another police sergeant was charged with leaking information about multiple police raids to people outside the force. She pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody.

In 2023, Times of Malta reported that six officers had been suspended over drug use in two years, five of whom had decided to resign.

Separately, another four officers were suspended that year in connection with investigations into tampered mileage gauges on imported Japanese cars.

In April last year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told parliament there were a total of 50 officers on precautionary suspension.