The Police Act lays down seven main objectives for the force. Three bear highlighting in view of the bizarre developments that unfolded over the past weeks in connection with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.
The police are expected: “to preserve public order and peace, to prevent the commission of offences, to promote and enforce the observance of the laws, as a first guarantee of the rights of all persons in Malta, even before action is needed through the judicial system to repress, sanction or remedy any breach;
“to respond immediately to any request for the protection and intervention of the law;
“to apply the law without discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, language, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.”
By law, the government is responsible for the “strategic direction” of the force, not its day-to-day running and, much less, its investigative role and functions.
Evidence in court paints a very different picture of how the police behaved.
Judging by the little information that came their way, mainly from the independent media and bloggers like Ms Caruana Galizia, law-abiding citizens have long suspected something is rotten at the Floriana building, which served as a shelter for homeless women and also as hospital in the past and is now the police headquarters.
It is obvious strings were being pulled from the Prime Minister’s Office and that Joseph Muscat’s closest aide, Keith Schembri, was well aware of what was happening and, possibly, even exercised influence, directly or indirectly, on very senior officers.
Trust in the police is now practically zilch. Pity, really, because many of the men and women within the force are hard-working and loyal to their oath of office. But they have been let down miserably by their superiors, including by the Police Commissioner even if he appears to be quite likeable at a personal level by his officers.
The Police Commissioner is empowered by law to lead and guide the force but it is evident he has accepted his political masters to go far beyond than giving strategic direction. He allowed Castille to contaminate his force.
The situation is such that both contenders to the Labour Party leadership and, thus, the premiership, have stressed that the Police Commissioner must enjoy the people’s trust. To many, that is a pledge they will replace the incumbent.
That is, of course, imperative – the same applies to the Attorney General – but that is hardly enough.
Credibility in the corps is quite low and any meaningful attempt to restore the confidence the police require and deserve to be able to operate without fear or favour demand that the Augean stables are cleansed. This must incorporate a number of measures but, notably, a public inquiry on the lines of that looking into Ms Caruana Galizia’s murder.
The inquiry will need to look into what led to the force failing in its duties, if need be naming and shaming officers who put their political allegiance before their oath of office or failed to act without fear or favour, as the law demands.
Finally, it should make recommendations conducive in ensuring that the quest for justice, law and order, and nothing and nobody else, would be the guiding spirit of the police.