So the police commissioner finally awoke from his slumber yesterday and called a press conference, or as we refer to it in Malta a ‘crime conference.’
The aim of a press conference is usually to brief the press about an ongoing situation and to take, and answer, questions. Yet as was the case many times in the past, yesterday’s crime conference did nothing of the sort – no real questions were answered.
In the end it turned out to be a farce – a sort of kindergarten circle that only served to convey the message that ‘we are doing all we can to carry out a serious investigation.’ The police did not have to wait until yesterday to tell us that – it should have held an urgent press conference, at the site of the murder, on Monday.
All the foreign journalists that attended the much anticipated event must have shaken their heads in disbelief when the conference was finally over and they were left none the wiser – all their questions still unanswered.
The local press, on the other hand, know all too well that this is what usually happens when the police call a press conference: nothing. Time is wasted asking questions that are all met with the same standard reply: ‘We cannot divulge that information.’ So why were the members of the press dragged to the police HQ at 6pm after a long day anyway?
Following the ‘briefing’ on television was a surreal experience. For a start, the communication skills of Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and Assistant Commissioner Silvio Valletta are terrible. It was obvious that the force did not anticipate the foreign press showing up and planned to speak in Maltese, even if international news teams have been camped all over the island since Monday.
Secondly, the speakers repeated things we already knew, such as: ‘The investigation is being led by the Malta police force and the foreign forensic experts are only here to provide technical expertise.’
Thirdly, practically no questions from the press were answered.
If anything, yesterday’s crime conference only served to further dent the credibility of the police commissioner and the police force in general. This at a time when people are saying that they do not feel protected in their own country.
This is yet another reason why the Police Commissioner – the fifth under a Labour administration – has to go, now.
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President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has been criticised for not returning to Malta on Monday after the shocking car bomb attack. The President was on a State Visit to Ukraine and only arrived back in Malta on Wednesday evening.
Many regard the Head of State as a unifying figure. And this is a time when the country needs unity, as much as it can get. This is especially important now that both political parties have gone on the warpath, each blaming the other over this heinous crime. Tempers are rising, fast, and the President, a rational and kind-hearted figure who is admired by both sides, should see how to cool things down.
Yes, the President did issue a short statement through the DOI on Monday but it would not be a terrible idea if she were to appear on national television and call for calm, respect and unity.
Message from the Office of the President
The Office of the President pointed out that no press released were sent by the DOI on the President’s visit on Monday. The only press release sent by the OPR was the President’s condemnation of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The mistake is regretted and has been corrected.
The office also pointed out that state visits are planned and organised months ahead.
“Her Excellency was already in Kiev when last Monday’s tragic incident happened. The schedule of Her Excellency and her delegation in Kiev was duly published on The President’s Engagements in The Sunday Times.”