In reaction to comments published in Wednesday’s edition of l-orizzont regarding hunting and trapping, including references that the police “fool around”, the Police Commissioner said in a statement that the police were obliged and duty-bound to enforce legislation.

“Ending up in such a situation that police get told off that they are fooling around just because they are fulfilling their duties is absurd. Nobody is above the law and this also applies to hunters and trappers; it is the rightful duty of the police to carry out inspections whenever necessary,” the statement said.

The police said they wanted to ensure, as had always been done, that any breach of the hunting and trapping regulations were investigated and given the same treatment as any other breach of the law.

The police added that it was worthy to note that the hunting and trapping seasons were both closed at the moment and those practising these hobbies would simply be putting themselves at risk.

Referring to a case to which the newspaper article referred, the police said the situation was completely different to the description given by FKNK secretary general Lino Farrugia, as quoted in the newspaper.

The police said that three officials from the Administration and Law Enforcement (ALE) section were carrying out a scheduled patrol in Mtahleb, limits of Rabat, on Monday, when they noticed a suspicious group of about 15 people, who fled as soon as they saw members of the police.

At that moment, a helicopter happened to fly low over the area where these people were running and a person working in a nearby field witnessed the scene and the police said it did not appear that this person was hunting or trapping at the time, but went home after finishing work at the field.

Unfortunately, this person died during the following night, after suffering a heart attack, the police said, adding that it was not true that the police were an indirect cause of this person’s death, as was alleged in the newspaper article.

The police said comments in the article were not only untrue, but they could instil a sense of hatred towards the country’s authorities, as happened during FKNK’s recent demonstration, where members of the police suffered injuries after demonstrators hurled bottles and other hard objects in their direction.