Updated 4.20pm with Labour reaction below.
Police officers are “overstretched, overworked and underpaid” and this is jeopardising national security, according to PN Home Affairs spokesperson Joe Giglio.
He said many of those who were still working within the force were seriously demotivated, with many officers who have left not being replaced and those who are still there looking forward to gathering 25 years of service to be able to retire. The situation in the police force also reflects badly on the country’s security situation, he said.
Giglio said the Nationalist Party was calling for police officers’ working conditions to be improved, not only to help the current officers but also to attract talented individuals to the corps.
The dire state of many local police stations has been repeatedly flagged by police unions: in June, the Malta Police Union described many of them as "horror houses".
The European Confederation of Police has also noted that Maltese police stations are "akin to offices from the 1950s and 1960s" and warned that this will impact on the service provided to residents.
MP Alex Borg blames 'multicultural changes' for crime
PN MP Alex Borg said that the lack of security was being felt on the island of Gozo, with residents of Marsalforn and Xlendi living in constant fear due to recent “multicultural changes”, which he said were leading to more criminality, fights, and drug and alcohol abuse. He said there was a lack of police presence in Gozo, as he heaped praise on those who were holding the fort which police numbers dwindle.
“The responsibility of these incidents falls squarely on the Police Commissioner and Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. We are ready to work with them to achieve improvements and address the situation,” Borg added.
Investment on improved working conditions has been unprecedented - PL
In a reaction to the PN press conference, the Labour Party said government investment to improve the working conditions of uniformed personnel was unprecedented in the past few years and would continue.
This was evidenced by new collective agreements, a reduction of the working week to 40 hours from 48, and payment of police overtime which the former PN government had refused.
It was ironic that the PN spoke of motivation when it constantly attacked the forces of law and order, the PL said.
It observed that not only had working conditions improved, but the crime rate was down.