Former Police Commissioner Michael Cassar, who resigned on Wednesday for health reasons, said that he leaving the Police Corps in a much better state than how he found it when he took over the position in late 2014.

In a 16-minute video released on the Malta Police Force Facebook page, the outgoing commissioner appealed to each and every member of the force to continue working hard to make it even better.

He said that police officers, like everyone else, committed their mistakes, and this oftentimes overshadows the good work that is carried out by the police corps.

Mr Cassar asked every member to report any shortcomings they might see to their superiors immediately so as to ensure that the corps keeps going in the right direction. He thanked every single member of the police corps in every single section unreservedly for the work they have been doing over the last year to transform the force into one which the public can trust fully.

The former Commissioner spoke of investments made in new cars being given to the RIU to improve services given to the public, with the most functional RIU cars soon to be transferred to Police Districts to hopefully tackle the crisis which exists with regard to the number of cars available to the police.

Speaking specifically about the police districts, Mr Cassar said that they are the ambassadors for the entire police force. He admitted that there have been some shortcomings, however one officer’s faults should not reflect on the rest of the force.

He expressly spoke about setting up the Victim Support Unit, which he said has always been his dream. This unit gives psychological assistance both to victims and to police officers “who are also human, at the end of the day.” 

Another project which the former Commissioner is very proud of is the Drug Squad, going so far as to call it his “baby”, considering that he led the unit for a number of years. He said he knew that the changes would yield positive results, but what he thought would take at least three months to achieve was achieved immediately and the positive work kept flowing ever since it started. “This is my drug squad”, the ex-Commissioner said proudly adding that he would like this Squad to be his legacy which he will leave behind for the future of the Corps.

He said that his new method of choosing new inspectors paid off completely. Mr Cassar said that he presented the concept of not only studying, but at the same time working with their colleagues and having the same responsibilities to show cooperation. This method has paid off and the absolute majority of all feedback received in this regard is positive.

He concluded by thanking every single member of the Police Corps including the CID, Forensic Section, ALE, Mounted Branch and Traffic section among others, for their hard work, specifically mentioning Special Branch Deputy Commissioner, Andrew Seychell for his constant support calling him “indispensable”.

He did not mention Lawrence Cutajar, who has taken over his position as acting police commissioner.