PN says political interference 'weakening' police

Incompetence and political interference over the past year have obstructed the police in its fight against criminality, opposition MP Jason Azzopardi said.

In a statement issued today, the Nationalist MP said that statistics issued by criminologist Saviour Formosa show that in 2013 there was a 13% increase in crime over the previous year.

Noting his concern over what he said was "the biggest increase since 1998," Azzopardi said "a lack of strategy and seriousness in the police forces is sending a message that anything goes, including hundreds of vindictive transfers and unjust promotions for the inner circle."

Overlooking the fact that crime rates have been on a steady rise since 2009, Azzopardi stressed that despite the PN's warnings, the Labour administration had turned the police force into a political tool.

Following the opposition's calls for the resignation of police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit on Wednesday, the MP said that the government was sending a message that "it treats people discriminately even when it comes to people who should undergo criminal investigation."

Yesterday, Azzopardi was among a number of opposition in MPs who called for Zammit's resignation, after claiming that the police received "political orders" not to prosecute Enemalta account holders who are suspected to have bribed Enemalta employees to hack into their smart meters.

Calling for zero tolerance on criminality, the Nationalist MP reiterated that prime minister Joseph Muscat "should stop using the police for his own partisan interests and the forces should serve the common good without prejudice."