editorial

Did Roger Debattista die in vain?

A young policeman dies. Police officers phone this office complaining they are anxious because of inadequate security arrangements.

Outdated revolvers, guns that do not work, and inadequate protection. Letters are faxed and calls are made to the Home Affairs ministry.

They duly reply that we should address the questions to the Police HQ.

Bad public relations at its best.

The feeling in the police force is one of bewilderment. They feel isolated and they know that sooner or later this incident will be forgotten. They have passed through some rough times.

In the seventies and eighties the police corps was run like a rural Brazilian police force. Detainees were beaten, and political activists bludgeoned to death.

At the helm, police officers with surnames such as Pullicino, Psaila and Cassar ensured that the police force was not so much an admirable organisation thing that defended the citizen, but a repressive force. There have been very few apologies.

The Nationalists took the place of the Labour government and did little to replace the culprits, apart from Commissioner Pullicino.

The nineties was an improvement but far from the force we would have expected. We were led to believe that everything was under control, it was not.

It all came to a head with a policeman with a zipper problem.

The new Commissioner is a breath of fresh air. His appointment should be applauded, even though some people are annoyed that he has a Labour background and was rather close to Pullicino. The decision to choose John Rizzo was correct.

But then where do we draw a line?

Commissioner Rizzo is a human figure, emotive, efficient and decisive. He is also not big headed and very press friendly. Which makes a hell of difference when compared to his predecessor.

This is not the first time that a policeman has been killed, or a public official injured or maimed. Noel Grima, a priest (also an editor) who lived in the same street as Roger Debattista, said that his murder was not a futile one. His kind words were from the heart.

But however sincere his thoughts, we believe that Roger Debattista’s death could well be a vain death.

Unkind as it sounds, his murder is the fruit of ill-thought-out security and a society dotted with social problems.

Until yesterday, security procedures in most banks had not changed. In one bank the doors are so flimsy that a 10-year-old can kick the door open. Traditionally culprits have been allowed to get away scot-free. Murderers are released on bail.

There are many cases when murderers have appeared before the courts to be awarded bail and ridiculous sentences, whereas others have been sentenced by the media and the public before the commencement of judicial hearings.

The reality is that the police are a demoralised lot. They fail to see a leader in their midst. They need two leaders, one in the persona of a minister and the other in the form of a commissioner.

The police force is pleading for leadership.

The criminal world needs bigger solutions than good policing, they need social action plans. Many of our inner towns are tumours in the making. Broken families, underclass groupings with little education, unemployment and gross disrespect for others.

Drugs, prostitution and armed robbery is no longer uncommon. This is not Brixton, but, many parts of Malta have their problems: Bormla, San Gwann, Qormi and Valletta. This is no understatement.

To address this we need leaders from within, with a visionary and decisive streak.

Any suggestions?