The police’s Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) section has for a long time enforced hunting and trapping regulations but with the spread of COVID-19 it has been transformed into a frontline defence.

On top of their regular duties, ALE officers are now responsible for the enforcement of mandatory quarantine and other restrictions, putting them on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis in Malta.

Inspector Elliot Magro, who has served as a police officer since 2005 and in the ALE section for the past two years, said that while the police are always trained to step in during unconventional scenarios, this is an unprecedented situation.

“When you think about it, someone has to do this job and as law enforcement officers it’s natural for us to step up to the plate. We know that our communities and healthcare workers need us,” Magro says.

“But it’s not easy to shift from tackling environmental crime to putting on a mask and a pair of gloves and going door to door to check on people.”

Every day, members of the ALE and police officers from other sectors, healthcare workers and members of the Civil Protection Department, form teams and make their way through a list of people who are supposed to be in mandatory quarantine.

They knock on doors and make sure that every person who should be on lockdown is at home.

This includes people who are on mandatory quarantine because of overseas travel, people who were identified through contact tracing or those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

If a person on the list is not at the residence when the police arrive, they are immediately issued a contravention, which is currently set at a hefty €3,000, as well as a letter which obliges that person to immediately contact the police upon their return.

Once contact is established with that person, police coordinate with the health authorities to determine the places they visited outside their home as well as contact tracing if that person has exhibited symptoms.

“At the beginning we weren’t really sure what we were supposed to do, because this situation is totally unprecedented. We met with the health department and assessed how best to control the situation and from that we developed our operations,” Magro says.

“But we had no experience, everyone from myself to the most junior police officer had to learn how to do things day by day. Since then we’ve adapted, there are things we did in the beginning that we don’t necessarily do the same way now. We develop our approach according to the situation and I think with that mindset, we’ve found a good rhythm.”

Despite the forthright attitude, the heightened risk of making contact with the virus is always at the back of his mind.

“The concern is always there,” Magro says.

“At the end of the day we all go home to our families and it’s a little scary knowing that you might get sick and worse than that, you could transmit it to the people you care about the most.

“As police officers, we always take precautions and decrease as much as possible the risk of coming into contact with the virus.

“We think of the worst case scenario and prepare for that. We are facing people who are themselves at a higher risk of transmitting the virus, but we wear the right equipment and we keep our distance.”

The groups of police officers and healthcare workers are also trying to work in the same groups of four, to avoid being in contact with too many different people, and limiting the number of people who would need to go into quarantine if the situation arose.

Magro says that despite the tense times and tight restrictions, civilians have been supportive and cooperative with officers doing their duties.

“The majority of people have been obeying the restrictions and appreciate what we’re doing,” Magro says.

“It’s annoying then, when you get those handful of people who break quarantine and tell you they needed to buy a loaf of bread. It breaks your heart a little because we’re all making a lot of sacrifices and facing this risk as frontliners while some see no reason to change their behaviour at all.”

Nonetheless, Magro says he and his colleagues take pride in their duties and in finding new ways to contribute to the lessening of the crisis.

“There’s a sense of pride in this work, we feel like this is something necessary that we can do for our country, so it’s very motivating,” Magro says.

“We understand this is a frustrating time for everybody. We’re also starting to feel the strain of working every day and not seeing our families. Which is why we urge everybody to stay indoors and follow the directions of the health authorities.”

“The quicker we get a handle on this virus, the sooner we can start coming back to normality. I think it’s worth suffering a little bit right now so we can enjoy our future.”