Contacted by MaltaToday two days after his new appointment as head of the Security Service, Herbert Agius would not comment on whether he would bring about any policy changes at the department which has been the subject of great media intrigue.

"It is a policy of this department not to comment about our actions. We report to the bodies outlined by the law and they tell us what to do," he said.

Herbert Agius, a former customs official, is little known outside Police quarters. Over the past years he has been active in the National Drugs Intelligence Unit, which was incorporated within the Security Service early last year.

Mr Agius is also a member of the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies. For the past year Mr Agius was the Police Commissioner’s right-hand man in the Security Service.

Asked whether he would resign from his post on the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies, Mr Agius said that he still had to talk to the minister about the matter. "The appointment has been a very recent one and I have not yet settled down, but probably I would have to do as you suggested," he told MaltaToday.

Police and customs officials who worked with Mr Agius described him as a reserved person and a gentleman. They told MaltaToday that whenever Mr Agius tendered detailed evidence in court he did so meticulously and objectively.

"He did this without any apparent grudges toward the accused, an important characteristic that says a lot about the man," the sources said.

The sources also pointed out that Mr Agius does not appear to have controversial contacts, which may interfere with his line of duty.

The decision by the government to separate the roles of Police Commissioner and head of the Security Service is a welcome move that this newspaper applauds.