Officers in short supply at the force

The police force is lacking around 200 officers, according to information released in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Labour home affairs spokesman Michael Falzon, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the ideal staff complement for the force was 2,041 - a figure calculated in proportion to the population.

There are currently 1,821 serving officers, according to figures obtained from the police.

This leaves the force 220 officers short of its estimated full complement. The police need 144 constables, 46 sergeants, six second class sergeant majors, 23 inspectors and one superintendent.

Over 61 constables completed a training course two months ago and are awaiting results. While some trainees shrugged this off as normal procedure, others expressed frustration at the delay.

Meanwhile, another 135 recruits are undergoing a nine-month training course at the police academy and are expected to be sworn in as constables in spring. A call for applications for inspectors is in the pipeline, according to the police. Meanwhile, 22 police officers retired last month, while a further 50 officers left last year.

Sources said this shortage in human resources was mostly felt on a district level, where many police stations were either manned by a handful of policemen or not at all.