The Police Commissioner has justified the decision to deploy former police officers, some of whom are their early 70s, arguing that this will strengthen the police force with immediate effect as no training is required.

Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit was replying to questions from The Sunday Times of Malta regarding the government’s decision to employ 150 reserve constables.

Sources told this newspaper that questions were raised after it transpired that in some cases former police officers well past pensionable age had been assigned to carry out regular everyday duties at police stations.

The commissioner said that in recent years the force had been working within “limited human resources parameters”. As a result, the re-employment of former police officers on a reduced-hours basis to assist the force on all of its commitments was being encouraged.

Mr Zammit said 102 reserve police had already been engaged. “This employment works on experience-based policing, thus saving training and achieving immediacy of deployment,” he said. Though their name might suggest otherwise, members of the reserve force were not being kept on standby but were being assigned to carry out everyday duties. Since the law regulating their employment empowers them to full police powers they are being employed in all police stations and duties as generally befits their experience to maximise output.”

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