Crime last year declined by 11 per cent, and it had continued to decline in the first three months this year, the Justice and Internal Affairs Ministry said yesterday in reply to statements by the opposition’s spokesman, Gavin Gulia, about the police.

Rather than a demoralised corps, as had been claimed, the police today were full of enthusiasm to overcome challenges, it added.

It said that conditions of work for the police had always been improved by Nationalist governments. The ministry said that since 1998 a constable’s salary had gone up by 34 per cent, and that of an inspector by 40 per cent. The police had earned Lm3 million extra in allowances, overtime and extra duty, amounting to an average of Lm1,666 per head.

In contrast to this, Labour governments had reduced the service pension by applying it after 30 years’ service, instead of 25 years as it had been, and those who took up a job on retirement had had their pension reduced. Police presence at feasts and on Sundays had also been cut down, so that police earnings had been reduced by Lm600,000, the ministry added.

It denied that there was a high rate of resignations in the police. The annual average over the past eight years had been 42, including those who retired because of age. Under Labour the rate was 73 each year.

The ministry said the new shift had been widely accepted by the police. It ensured more days off for the police and for the first time the police knew beforehand what shift they would be on and what work they would be doing.