The Partit Demokratiku today called for better protection for police, Armed Forces, Corradino Correctional Facility and civil protection personnel.

Many young individuals sign up to serve in our forces because, somewhere along their path to adulthood, they have been inspired to believe that nation comes before self. These persons sign up for duty knowing that their career paths will, at several stages, probably put themselves directly in the ‘line of fire’, which could have life-changing consequences, if they indeed survive the incident, the party said in a statement.

As things stand today, police and personnel pertaining to the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), Corradino Correctional Facility and Civil Protection Department (CPD) suffering a disability will be boarded out with a pension which does not increase until they pass away, probably decades later. Moreover, the spouses of Police, AFM and CPD personnel who lose their loved ones in the line of duty receive minimum compensation on an ad hoc basis, which could have grave consequences. 

The questions we should be all asking ourselves are the following:

1.       Are Police, CCF, AFM and CPD personnel, who are ready to sacrifice their lives and livelihood for our nation, being adequately rewarded and protected for services rendered to our nation? If not, how can this be rectified?

2.       If Police, AFM, CCF and CPD personnel are injured or killed in the line of duty, are current pensions and compensation adequate to sustain the individual’s disrupted life, as well as those of his dependents, post incident?

Perhaps it is time for this matter to be given its due attention in Parliament. This is why PD will join the Police Association's solidarity March in Valletta this coming Saturday, and invite the public to do likewise.