A proposal to appoint the police commissioner through an open call does not go far enough as the prime minister could still sack the selected candidate without any justification at any stage, opposition MP Chris Said warned on Monday.
Speaking in parliament during a debate on amendments to the Police Act, the Gozitan MP called once again for a mechanism under which the commissioner would be appointed by a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
“Otherwise, we will remain under the existing situation in which the prime minister can hire and fire at his own complete discretion,” he warned.
“This does not bode well as the police chief would remain a puppet on a string,” he added.
However, former Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia shot down such claims on various fronts.
He noted that there was no provision in the law which empowered the prime minister to sack a police commissioner. It was only the public service commission which was vested with this authority he said.
While accusing the opposition of trying to “deceive” parliament, Farrugia said the mechanism being proposed by the opposition existed nowhere else in the world.
“I challenge them to say in what country the police commissioner is elected in such manner,” Farrugia said.
Government’s, opposition’s proposals
Under government’s proposal the public service commission will evaluate interested candidates following an open public call. The candidates would then be grilled in a parliamentary committee where the government enjoys a majority.
The ultimate decision would still fall on the shoulders of the prime minister from among this pool of candidates.
The role of police commissioner in recent years has been mired in controversy with no fewer than six different chiefs since 2013.
Earlier Chris Said insisted that the two-thirds mechanism, being advocated by the opposition, had already been successful for other important posts such as the ombudsman and the standards commissioner.
He also challenged the government to seek the advice of the group of Council of Europe experts on the rule of law, known as the Venice Commission, to make an evaluation on which proposal was the best.
‘PSC has no expertise to decide’
During the debate, another former home affairs minister albeit from the Opposition ranks, Carm Mifsud Bonnici said having a commissioner enjoying the confidence of both sides of the House was a golden opportunity to restore trust in the force.
Mifsud Bonnici said this vacancy was not like any directorship within the civil service and consequently, the PSC was not best suited to evaluate the candidates.
“How can this entity tell which officer has the best investigative skills, and understand the real challenges poses by whoever aspires to be at the helm of the force,” he questioned.
“The PSC does not have the expertise to decide on this matter,” he added.