Over the last few months we have heard allegations of various misdeeds ostensibly committed by police officers.
Just one month ago a police officer was charged with complicity in the theft of seven air-conditioning units from the former Naxxar Trade Fair grounds. Allegedly, the man was guarding the grounds at night – and instead of protecting the premises he opted to let in two friends of his, turning a blind eye as they took off with €2,300 worth of equipment. A week later we heard of the case of the policeman who was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl from Dingli. He was also accused of having a stash of child pornography. The case is ongoing but is being heard behind closed doors, so the public will not be informed of the details.
All this happened as various allegations of police misconduct emerged in the media. The first complaint was made by a 21-year-old from Rabat, who claims to have been beaten by police officers inside the St Julian’s police station, while the Sergeant on duty watched on. The second incident relates to a couple who were parking their car, and who claim that police officers beat them after they refused to drive on and abort their parking attempt. The third and most recent episode concerns allegations made by an 18-year-old girl who claims to have been manhandled and terrorized by four police officers after committing the serious crime of walking on the beach with a small dog in her handbag.
Stories like these are worrying, particularly because the reaction of the Police Corps leaves much to be desired. The recent development on the “Chihuahua” case is that charges have been hurriedly filed against the young lady who has gone public with her story. They did not charge her with lying – no, she has been charged for walking on the beach with a dog in her bag – note, this is not the same thing as walking a dog on the beach!
I feel truly safe in my bed at night knowing that every miscreant who dares to venture onto a beach with a pooch in tow will be brought to justice. Pity that I do not have the same peace of mind as to what would happen should I encounter a police officer while frolicking on the sand.
The picture that is emerging is a scary one. It seems that some members of the police force have forgotten that their role is to offer a service and protect the public. Instead they seem to have let the “power” of wearing their uniform go to their head, thinking that they are above the law.
The actions of these (hopefully) few renegades is tarnishing the image of the entire force – after all how on earth are we supposed to know whether we are dealing with a good guy or a bad guy next time we encounter a boy or girl in blue? Are we all going to have to err on the side of caution every time we speak to a police officer, because of the fear of getting thrown into a cell and jostled around for a bit of fun?
Is it going to be – Yes Officer, You are right Officer, I was wrong Officer – or else?
Time will tell what will happen about these allegations. Hopefully they will be taken seriously by the powers-that-be back at the Police HQ, and a serious investigation will be launched by the Police Internal Investigations Unit to find out what actually happened.
The reality is that the public deserves an explanation. We do not want cover-ups; we want to know whether the allegations are true, and if they are, we want peace of mind that something is going to be done about it.
Today it is those three young people – tomorrow it could be you or me.
Unfortunately the reality is that most people have no faith that these complaints will be dealt with fairly. Let’s face it – having such episodes investigated by an internal committee does not work. It is time that the Home Affairs Ministry sits up and takes note of what is happening. They might not have noticed the unfolding scandal, but the rest of us have. We have taken note, and we are concerned!
Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici must intervene and set up an independent police complaints commission – similar in concept to the one operating in the UK.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is a public body responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales. It supervises police investigations about particular complaints, ensuring that each case is dealt with fairly and impartially. In addition, when the case is particularly serious, it conducts a totally independent investigation itself, without involving the police force in the matter.
The commission employs investigators who in some cases are former police officers – however the commissioners themselves cannot have worked for the police at any point in time in their career. This is important – it avoids having cases where the people being investigated are former buddies.
The main target of the IPCC in the UK is to increase public confidence that complaints are being investigated in a timely, fair and transparent manner. Let’s face it, the Maltese could use an injection of confidence in the complaints system locally – for goodness sake: the investigation into the shooting of Bastjan Borg, who was shot five times by police officers who were aware that he was mentally ill and that he was not carrying a firearm, is still ongoing - more than two years after the incident occurred!
Public confidence in the police force needs to be restored – unfortunately so far it appears that those who should be working to achieve that aim are doing absolutely nothing about it. Let’s hope they buck up some time soon.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Search:
MALTATODAY
BUSINESSTODAY
Download MaltaToday Sunday issue front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
A week later we heard of the case of the policeman who was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl from Dingli. He was also accused of having a stash of child pornography. The case is ongoing but is being heard behind closed doors, so the public will not be informed of the details.
