The police issued a computer generated identikit of a man they suspect was involved in the brutal murder of a man in Hamrun last Friday.

Paul Degabriele was shot dead in Marsa at around 11.15am. That same evening, the police briefed the press in a crime conference, and appealed for anyone with information to come forward. During the same conference, the police issued the identikit to the media, asking for help in circulating the image. Journalists present were forced to stifle giggles and laughter – the identikit does not even look like a person. We understand that the police put the image together in just a few hours, but still… The new image began doing the rounds on the social media, with many describing the image as having a likeness to Shrek – the animated movie character.  The eyes were huge, the jaw was completely disproportionate to the face, the nose looked like something out of Red Nose Day and the hair looked like a mop that had just been slapped on top of the head. It looks, quite honestly, ridiculous. Then on Monday, the police issued a new identikit, saying that the image was created after new eyewitnesses came forward with a better descryption.

The newer image, features a perfectly normal looking human being with a cap and an angular face. The point we are trying to make is that the first image looked nothing like a human being, whereas the second one looked like a normal bloke. So it begs the question… what on earth went on with the first attempt? Even if the person in the original identikit was funny looking, there is no way on earth that he could have looked like what was circulated. Either someone didn’t know how to use the equipment, or the equipment is not up to the job.

We are not, in any way, questioning the police’s handling of the case, that is not the point of this leading article. But what is, in fact, the point is that the country should expect far more. It has long been known that Malta really lags behind in the field of forensics. There was some investment by the previous administration, but there is so much more that needs to be done. We cannot continue to live in a society where DNA tests have to be sent abroad – among many other shortcomings.