Better working conditions needed to prevent police corps exodus - PN

The Nationalist Party called on government to improve the working conditions of the police in order to address the exodus within the police force.

In a statement signed by MPs Joe Giglio and Ivan Castillo, spokespersons for home affairs and employment respectively, the PN said that the morale was low within the police corps and that demotivation was rife.

“The Labour government has completely lost the ability to ensure a well-motivated and organised Police Force. The Police Force is in a very bad situation,” they said.

Recently the Malta Police Union said that over the past 18 months, over 300 officers had left the police force. It issued new directives to its members, saying that government was not willing to improve the "dire" situation with the corps.

PN said that more police members were leaving the Force than new recruits joining. It expressed solidarity with all members of the corps, who it said were facing poor working conditions, low wages and no shoulder to shoulder from the Government.

“With crime on the rise and with the Government not addressing the problems it has created itself, the people are losing their trust in the Corps,” Giglio and Castillo said.

They appealed to the Government and the Police Commissioner to carry out reforms to re-strengthen the Force.