The Malta Police Force in its present form dates from a proclamation during the governorship of Sir Thomas Maitland, who was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of Malta and its dependencies on July 23, 1813. On his appointment, Maitland embarked on many far-reaching reforms, including the maintenance of law and order.

The first members of the police force did not wear any uniform and were identified because they carried a dangling sword, a pistol and a baton as a sign of their office.

Members of the police below the rank of adjutant became known as ‘serjeants’ (sergeants).

The minimum height to enlist in the force was five feet, five inches (1.65m).

From the early years of British rule up to 1919, the police force was invariably the ‘Cinderella’ of all government departments. However, from time to time, the need for reform became so pressing that it could not be ignored.

As early as 1836, the secretary of state gave an impetus to the first reorganisation by appointing a commission sent to inquire, among other things, on how to improve the efficiency of the police.

The commission, composed of John Austin and Sir G. Cornwall Lewis, submitted its findings and recommendations on January 10, 1838. It was stated that “the ordinary duties of the police (viz. the guarding of persons and property, the maintenance of public order, and the apprehension of persons suspected of crime) are in Malta performed by the department of executive police. This department is composed of a magistrate of executive police, who has the chief superintendence, of an assistant, six clerks, six adjutants and deputy adjutants, two sergeants major, 37 sergeants and 34 constables”.

The commission then mentioned the defects of policing in Malta, the two main deficiencies being inefficiency and cost. The chief cause of the inefficiency was attributed to the small number of personnel.

At that time, the police force consisted of some officers and 73 regular policemen for a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants; a ratio of one policeman to every 1,370 persons. Moreover, a considerable number of these men were inefficient and unable to perform police duties. A study made by the head of the police at that time concluded that, out of the 73 regular policemen, 24 were unfit for service.

In 1849, Sir Richard More O’Ferrall, the new governor of Malta, proposed a reorganisation of the police force on the lines of the British police. In a report prepared to the secretary of the colonies, the governor suggested a decrease in the number of officers and an increase in those of the lower ranks.

The governor also recommended that there should be more opportunities for advancement from the lower ranks in order to serve as an incentive for future recruits, as only illiterate candidates were applying to join the force.

The British authorities took notice of O’Ferrall’s suggestions and, with effect from January 1, 1850, the police force was to be constituted of one commandant; one adjutant; four inspectors; four sub-inspectors; seven first-class sergeants; 13 second-class sergeants; 27 first-class constables; 88 second-class constables and 69 third-class constables. Enlistment had to be made at the lower rank and promotions from this rank could rise to the rank of adjutant. Promotions were made according to merit from among members who could read and write Italian.

In 1889, a committee was appointed to inquire and report upon the state of the police force. In its report, the committee recommended that the then probationary constables scheme should be examined and those not found to possess the qualifications suggested by the committee should be dispensed with.

It was also recommended that candidates for admission in the force had to be between 18 and 30 years of age, of a minimum height of five feet, four inches (1.62m) and minimum chest measurement of 33 inches (0.84m) from 18 to 20 years, and 34 inches (0.86m) if over 20 years.

Moreover, candidates had to be of good character and must undergo a medical examination. Those who can read and write, or who can speak English, single men or men with small families had to be preferred.

The disorderly state of the police force at the beginning of the 20th century may be proved from the report of a commission of enquiry which was chaired by the lieutenant governor and heard the sworn evidence of Tancred Curmi, the senior assistant superintendent, and Capt. S. Stivala, senior assistant superintendent of the marine police.

Curmi’s evidence revealed that, at the beginning of the 20th century, the police had a sort of training school but it was then closed down. Asked if it was advisable to reinstate the training school, Curmi answered that he was contrary to such a proposal as the school had yielded no practical results.

He also said that when lectures on law used to be delivered, several police officers had presumed themselves lawyers. Instead of limiting themselves to seeing whether there was a prima facie case or not, they used to go to the very bottom of matters and pose as magistrates, jurors and judges.

On November 13, 1909, lieutenant colonel Edward Bowater McInnis, CMG, received instructions from the colonial secretary to come to Malta to inquire into the working of the police force and to recommend alterations and improvements. During the two months McInnis stayed in Malta, he made himself acquainted with almost everything that had a bearing upon the force.

According to McInnis, the proper training of recruits was of the utmost importance and this training had to be gradual and uninterrupted. Among the subjects taught, the report mentioned a knowledge of all the duties, the code of discipline, police and detective work, a fair knowledge of the criminal code and other laws affecting the police and a thorough acquaintance with the police regulations, drill and Ju-Jitsu.

It was also recommended that members should be instructed in revolver practice and that a police instructor be appointed to take charge of this training at the training school, then known as the police depot.

Notwithstanding the stiff opposition to a foreign head of police, in 1917, the colonial administration contracted Claude Duncan to assume command of the police force. After his appointment, Duncan immediately commenced to restructure and reorganise the force.

In a detailed report to the lieutenant governor seven months after his appointment, Duncan recommended that, with regard to the attesting of recruits, the height should be five feet, six inches (1.67m) and not five feet, four inches (1.62m) and the maximum age to be 28 instead of 25.

Duncan also recommended the establishment of a police training school, to be called a police depot, as, at that time, there was no system for training recruits in their duties. The period of training that Duncan recommended was not shorter than three months and, if during that period a recruit was found unlikely to become an efficient constable, he was to be discharged.

According to Duncan, the suggested depot was not only to be a training school for recruits but for other members of the force who would also be sent for training there. This depot had also to serve as a reserve of men who could be deployed in emergencies.

In his opinion, the best location for this depot would be in Valletta or Floriana. However, other localities were also considered and the police commandant recommended the Old Laboratory Barracks, in Marsamxetto or the former Inquisitor’s Palace at Vittoriosa.

Duncan’s report was submitted to Governor Lord Methuen. On February 17, 1917, the governor wrote to Lieutenant Governor Edgar Bonavia informing him that, although he was glad to see such a good report, these recommendations meant additional expenditure and, so, they had to wait for normal times after the end of the war.

The lieutenant governor replied that, after the pains Duncan had taken to re-organise the police, it would be a pity to postpone all his suggestions. So, Bonavia proposed the establishment of a police training school on more modest lines than those suggested.

A few days later, on February 28, the governor sought instructions from the secretary of state for the colonies to introduce the recommendations as modified by the lieutenant governor. Two months later, the secretary of state replied to approve the changes in the minimum height and the age of recruits and the setting up of the training school.

After the 1919 June events, Colonel Harry William Morrey Bamford, of South Africa Demobilisation in London, was contracted to serve as the police commissioner and he commenced his duties on July 18, 1919. In his report to the lieutenant-governor, dated August 28, 1919, which was laid on the table of the council of government two days later, Bamford said that “Malta is today policed by an inefficient force, which, as recent events have proved, is useless and expensive in times of emergency”.

In his first report to the lieutenant governor, Bamford reported that 89 members of the force had been removed from service and that steps were being taken to improve the attestation of recruits as these had been selected with a knowledge of reading and writing from former servicemen of the Kings’ Own Malta Regiment of Militia.

Some months after Bamford’s appointment, he announced that the Valletta military hospital (the former Sacra Infermeria) was to serve as the first police headquarters. On December 1, 1919, a police training school was opened in this building. All single men of the Valletta district and all recruits were later provided with accommodation at these headquarters where comfortable bathing, washing and sanitary facilities were available.

The training at the police headquarters included drill, physical training, instructions on police duties and educational lectures. In addition, recruits attended classes at both the lyceum and the government elementary school with good results.

Recruits were kept under training between 10 and 12 weeks. If they showed intelligence and aptitude for police work, they were posted to districts as probationary constables.

In addition to the training of recruits, older hands were periodically summoned to attend similar courses.

Arrangements were later made with the officer commanding the Royal Regiment to send six squads of six sergeants from time to time for courses of instruction in drill and elementary musketry.

In May 1955, the newly elected prime minister, Dom Mintoff, invited W.A. Muller, CGM, inspector-general of the colonial police, to advise on improvements in the organisation and efficiency of the police force.

Muller visited Malta from May 9 to 14 and had two discussions with the prime minister and conducted several interviews with the commissioner and other members of the force.

In his published report, Muller said that the Malta police organisation was no longer consistent with modern police practice and a radical change was needed, particularly as regards criminal investigation. Regulations had to be drafted and orders revised and brought up to date.

Referring to the sergeants as excellent police officers and doing splendid work, Muller said that the standard of recruits enlisted was poor and unlikely to maintain the high level required in the supervising ranks.

Muller was surprised that 50 per cent of the constables were too illiterate to keep the occurrence book at the police station when, in a society such as Malta, ordinary everyday police constables had to have a high standard of education.

He also said that he had agreed with a new procedure for the selection of police recruits, namely that candidates had to sit for a written examination before enlistment in the police force in the rank of probationary constable.

However, Muller recommended that, before a candidate is selected to take part in the competitive examination, the commissioner of police should certify that the candidate had the required physical standard, was medically fit and was of good character. Muller also said that the commissioner should be free to give any good reason he may have for objecting to the enlistment of any particular candidate.

Meanwhile, after a call for applications from women candidates between the ages of 20 and 25, an examination was held on June 4, 1956 and five policewomen were attested. Another examination was held some weeks later and another five women constables were attested. After these appointments, the police no longer continued to engage the special services of women for female searches and escorts to the hospital of mental disease as this work became part of policewomen’s duties.

According to the 1960 Malta Police regulations issued by the governor of Malta in April 1960, a candidate for appointment as a constable in the police force had to be (a) in the case of a man, have attained 18 years of age and not be above the age of 25, and, in the case of a woman, have attained the age of 20 and not be above the age of 25; (b) be not less than, in the case of a man, five feet seven inches (1.70m), or, in the case of a woman, five feet four inches (1.62m); (c) satisfy the chief government medical officer or his lawful representative for the purposes that the candidate:

(1) Is in good health;

(2) Is of sound constitution;

(3) Can read D6 with each eye or D6 with one eye and D9 with the other eye, without glasses at a distance of 20 feet and DO.8 without glasses at a distance of 20 feet;

(4) Has no imperfection of the colour sense; and

(5) Is medically fit in all respects physically and mentally, to perform all police duties;

 (6) Speak and write English and Maltese to the satisfaction of the commissioner of police and pass such educational examination as the commissioner shall prescribe;

 (7)  Be of exemplary character.

Despite these regulations, in the early 1960s, the commissioner only accepted male candidates of five feet 10 inches (1.79m) in height. However, in the mid-1960s, the height required was reduced to five feet nine inches (1.75m) and, eventually, to five feet eight-and-a-half inches (1.74m).

In December 1924, the government approved a special scheme for enlistment in the Malta Police Force of not more than 50 recruits as special reserve constables. The regulations regarding the enlistment of these constables were published in the government gazette.

According to these regulations, candidates had to have nearly the same qualifications as the attested constables, namely, be not less than five feet seven inches in height and between 18 and 25 years in age. Candidates had to be able to write English or Maltese and to possess a colloquial knowledge of English. Preference was given to candidates who possessed a good knowledge of other languages and to bachelors.

Reservists were sworn in for two years and could not resign before the expiration of this period unless specially authorised by the commissioner.

In the event of emergency, reservists were to continue to serve in their capacity notwithstanding the expiration of their engagement.

The existence of an emergency had to be certified in writing by the commissioner himself who had also the power to dispense with the services of any reservist on giving him 24 hours’ notice to this effect.