Don’t shave that beard, police union tells officers in dispute over facial hair

Police officers in Malta are being ordered to keep their hair on… facial that is… as a trade dispute rolls on between officers and the police corps.

The Malta Police Union has now offically registered its dispute against the Commissioner of Police after failing to reply to the MPU’s requests in September to repeal a circular imposing that non-uniformed members, as well as uniformed officers, shave their beards, under threat of disciplinary action for non-compliance.

It directed police officers, both uniformed or plain clothes, to sport a beard as long as it is well groomed; while all members of the force on duty will not wear their police cap; as well as allowing hair to be dye - except in conspicuous colours - and nail polish to be used.

The MPU has already warned the Commissioner that the order was unlawful. “In Schedule II of the Police Act, we find the relative legal provision related to offences for this particular subject ‘Beard’ as named in the quoted GHQ Circular, under the uncleanliness side-title: ‘Uncleanliness, that is to say, if a member of the Force while on duty or while off duty in uniform in a public place is unshaven, or improperly dressed, or is dirty or untidy in his person, clothing or equipment.’

“The Police Act, does not provide for any derogation, addition or subtraction by the Commissioner of Police. The Commissioner, like everyone must abide with the legislation, enacted by the President of Malta, after it passed the legislative process,” the POU said.

The police GHQ circular 36/16 prohibits all male members of the force to sport a beard. But the police union is determined not to get a clean shave: “Seems that the principle ‘Ubi lex voluit dixit, Ubi noluit tacuit’ (when the law wills, it speaks, when it does not, it is silent) has not been adopted by the Malta Police Force, and the Commissioner of Police jas turned legislator and added what the law did not consider, rendering his position ultra vires,” the union said.