Letters | Sunday, 30 August 2009

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Police manhandling claims

With reference to the article published in the issue of MaltaToday on Sunday 23 August 2009 entitled ‘Police caught lying over manhandling allegation’, the Police wish to clarify that the manner in which this case is being reported and interpreted, is incorrect.
The facts of this case are as follows:
On 12 June 2009, officials of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) requested the assistance of the St Julian’s Police after a young lady who was at St George’s Bay accompanied by her dog, was refusing orders given by these officials to remove the dog from the Bay since this was in breach of the law.
The Police immediately called on site and confirmed the report lodged by the MTA officials. When spoken to by the Police, the young lady kept on refusing to abide with the legitimate orders imparted to her and did not remove the dog from the Bay.
Since the young lady did not take any heed of the Police officers’ instructions, a female Police officer was called on site. At this point, the young lady expressed her wish to leave the bay, which request was not objected to as long as she gave her particulars to the Police officers so that criminal proceedings could be instituted against her. Nevertheless, this young lady declined to give her particulars.
Upon the arrival of the female Police officer, the young lady was arrested and conveyed to St Julian’s Police Station for further investigations. Since the young lady refused to cooperate with the Police officers and also resisted her arrest, minimum force had to be applied. As a consequence of the young lady’s actions, the female Police officer suffered injuries of a slight nature on her lip, whilst the young lady had some bruises on her arm from where she was held whilst being taken into the Police car.
This incident was confirmed by other persons who happened to be the scene of the incident.
Once at St Julian’s Police Station, the Police contacted and requested the young lady’s parents to call thereat. It was at the Police Station that the young lady’s mother managed to persuade her daughter to give her particulars to the Police. The incident ended there and the young lady left for home accompanied by her mother.
Some days following the incident, the mother accompanied by the young lady, called upon Superintendent Sharon Tanti, at St Julian’s Police Station, and reported that during the aforementioned incident, the Police officers involved had used force in excess of what was required, and caused some bruises on the young lady’s arm and thigh. The mother and her daughter requested the Superintendent to ensure that in similar incidents, the Police officers should be more prudent whilst executing their lawful duties, and demanded that the Superintendent should bring this to the attention of the Police officers concerned.
From investigations carried out by the Police it did not result that the Police officers involved in this incident had used excessive force but had only applied that amount of minimum force required to control the young lady’s attitude.
On 16 June 2009, the Police issued the relative charges against the young lady as regards this incident that ensued on 12 June 2009.
The Police categorically deny that Superintendent Sharon Tanti had told the young lady’s mother not to file a report at Police Headquarters, as was reported by you in the mentioned article published in your newspaper on Sunday 23 August 2009.

WPC 101 Roberta Grima
f/Commissioner of Police

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