Michael Cassar had been offered the post of Commissioner of Police by the government last July but had refused the offer at the time, he told this newsroom in an interview this week. 

As such, instead of the government’s first choice at the time, Ray Zammit had been appointed acting Commissioner until a permanent appointment could be made.

In the interview, right after being appointed to the role he had refused five months earlier, Commissioner Cassar said that at the time the offer was first made he had preferred to remain in his position as head of Malta Security Service.

Mr Cassar explained: “The reason is because at MSS I had settled down and started getting results. So at that time I preferred to stay there working with my team. But this time I accepted.”

Mr Cassar was appointed Police Commissioner earlier this week to fill the vacuum left behind by former acting Commissioner Ray Zammit, who has since been demoted back to his previous role as Assistant Commissioner after an inquiry that was held following the incident involving Paul Sheehan – at the time Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia’s driver.

Mr Zammit was held accountable for lack of professionalism. Dr Mallia, who is understood to be Mr Zammit’s cousin, has also been demoted to Parliament’s backbench.

In an extensive interview published last Friday in The Malta Independent, Police Commissioner Michael Cassar pledged to clean up the Police Force’s act, emphasising that one of his main goals is to bring back discipline and respect to the Police corps, both of which he believes have gone lacking. He added that his motto in leading the force will be that of “honesty”. Mr Cassar argued that, in order to regain people’s trust and safeguard their rights, there is a need for harmony in the force itself.