Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia has continued to defend the police commissioner, despite strong pressure from civil society through a second demonstration in Sliema on Sunday, and the Occupy Justice protest where members camped outside Castille for several days.

The minister was asked whether, given the public outcry and the second national demonstration on Sunday showing the lack of faith in the police commissioner, he will now ask for the commissioner's resignation or remove him from his post.

The minister said: "I think that if I stay going into the past commissioners under different PN administrations, there would be a deluge of what one could say. That is not the scope of the police commissioner. The police commissioner is not there so that we could attack him, or to have the institution attacked as some have done, attacking every police from the highest rank to the lowest. The police are there to assist the inquiring magistrate who is leading the investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder."

Pressed, and told that while he is mentioning the past, civil society is out in force saying they have no trust in the police commissioner which could decrease the already waning trust in the institution, he was asked how he could continue to defend the police commissioner.

The minister said that one must look at the institution as a whole, and that it is there to defend the country. "The least thing we need right now is that there be a partisan divide between the two major parties in the country. We had a lost opportunity for the country to unite to fight criminality. The main thing that worries me is the destabilisation by the Opposition aimed at the police in general and the institution at a moment where there could be criminals who try and take advantage of the situation."

Turning to the work of the police force leadership, he mentioned that this year saw the highest rate of drug seizures in the country, the success in fighting violent thefts and theft, the success in the fight against pickpocketing, where a large number of people were arrested. "If we look at the rate of criminality in the country this year, it reduced by 4% thus far. This clearly shows the police are doing their job and we must continue to support so that even needed structural changes, that have been in place for years, change in order for the police to be more effective."

Asked about his statement regarding a partisan divide, and whether he is implying that civil society who is calling for the removal of the police commissioner, is partisan, and also whether he will back calls for future appointments to the post to require a 2/3rds parliamentary majority.

"I was referring to those who took the opportunity to use national protests... and hijacked the prtest for political aims through their partisan intentions."

He stressed that there were even PL ministers and MPs present at the first protest.

'It was a moment to defend the country, not attack Malta abroad'

"This was a moment for the people to come together, and not to create division. It was a moment to defend the country, not attack Malta abroad."

"Look at what other countries have done. are we not capable of doing what others have done?"

Turning to the 2/3rds majority proposal, he said: "one must see how feasible it is. We await to hear the Opposition's proposals tonight, and will evaluate them. If they are practical we have no problem coming together and as we have done in the past, we always extend a hand, and I hope that they will not try and take the whole hand. The hand is one for cooperation and unity, where for us Malta comes first and foremost."

Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne was asked to expand on statements he made in Parliament regarding the need to strengthen the institutions, and whether he believes the lack of trust in the police commissioner and attorney general adds to the weakness of the institutions.

"It is good for the country to, every now and again, look inward and see how to strengthen itself. We will discuss this in Parliament after our suggestion to do this during the House Business Committee."

"We want a serene country, with good governance that everyone has faith in, a country where we have freedom of speech and expression. As the Labour Party we were always a party who fought for these rights and will do so even more as government."

Asked whether he will back calls by civil society to remove the AG and police commissioner, and whether he backs calls for appointments to such posts to require a 2/3rds Parliamentary majority, Minister Fearne said: "I think that now is the time where the police and justice systems be supported to conduct the work they need to do. I believe that this is the time to give the police all the resources, as we are doing, so that they can in this case and others bring the perpetrators to justice."

As for the 2/3rds majority, Minister Fearne said: "We said in our electoral manifesto that the time has come to revise and strengthen the constitution by seeing how we can do more for the institutions that have the public trust, and one thing I believe we have to discuss is how there could be more widespread trust in all institutions including in the police force and the office of the attorney general."

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