Home affairs minister Manwel Mallia and his Opposition counterpart Jason Azzopardi tangled during Question Time in Parliament regarding whether the police in the districts, some 900 of them, are getting the eight hours training they used to get under the PN administration.

Minister Mallia at first pooh-poohed the training that used to be given, describing it as a series of jogging runs. A better training, he said, is that which is being given to the 114 recruits that have joined the force recently. 

This included fire-fighting, protecting children, customer care, etc.

Dr Azzopardi dissented and said the training that used to be given, at eight hours per month, included the training in the use of firearms, of taser guns, etc.

Minister Mallia replied that anyone who wanted more training in firearms can go and train on the range. As for taser guns, those who use them do get training but first they have to have a tsser gun used on them so that they get to know its effect.

The minister then moved on to criticise the Opposition for not doing much in the constructiion of the Police Academy except the foundation stone. Today, the lecture rooms and the administration block are ready and are in use, the dormitory is built and being finished, and soon the auditorium will be taken in hand.

Dr Azzopardi said many policemen have told him about their disgust that the training has been stopped. What if an untrained policeman were to wound someone through his inexpert use of firearms?

Minister Mallia pooh-poohed this and countered by claiming that the transfers effected in the two months before the election were only equalled by this government in ten months.

A question by Carmelo Abela (PL) led the minister to confirm that the Academy is getting its first Director of Studies in the coming days. He complained that the Academy had been set up by the late Guido de Marco but subsequent ministers had let it run waste. It was used by SAG to wait there for anything to happen and abuses may have taken place.

Finally, he invited Dr Azzopardi to go visit the Academy.

The minister later continued with his defence of his management of the police and the army when he continued speaking on the Second Reading later on. He even offered, at one point, to stop speaking when Dr Azzopardi was talking on his mobile.