The new system of appointing Police Commissioners, as announced on Tuesday by Prime Minister Robert Abela, is a great improvement on the current method, but still falls short of expectations.

Abela said the new system will see applications for the post whittled down to two nominations by the Public Service Commission. So far, so good.

There had already been talk that the political parties would be nominating people for the post, which did not augur well. The process should be kept at arm’s length from politicians.

Now one could argue that the PSC is made up of two members nominated by the government and two by the Opposition. But it is led by a chairperson who enjoys the trust of both sides.

Abela said applications will be open to everyone, but the shortlisting process will be carried out according to certain criteria laid down by the PSC. We believe that the Police Commissioner should have a certain degree of police experience.

The role of CEO of the Police Force was recently opened up to civilians, but that is not an issue, since the role is mainly administrative in nature. In any case, it was filled by a former senior police officer.

In the case of Police Commissioner, however, we need someone who knows what he or she is doing, someone who knows what the capabilities of the force are and how to push them further. Above all, we need someone who will not succumb to political pressure and who will act immediately on all cases of misconduct, including those of a political nature.

Abela said he will forego his right to veto the choice made by the PSC, which means that he will not ignore their recommendation and appoint someone of his own choosing. This is a very welcome move that shows that the new PM is not set on choosing another puppet for Commissioner.

The candidate endorsed by the PM will then face Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee. It has already been argued that the government enjoys a majority here – which is only natural – but at least there will be another round of scrutiny and the Opposition will have the chance to voice its opinions and concerns about the person sitting before it, in a process which will be open to the media and the public.

We do feel, however, that, given the sensitivity of the role, and the fiasco that we experienced over the past six years, after the removal of John Rizzo, the new Police Commissioner should be approved by a two-thirds Parliamentary majority. Only then can the new police chief enjoy the trust of both sides of the House. This will also mean that the Opposition would not be able to change its tune when convenient and attack the government over the appointment at a later stage. A two-thirds approval is a win-win situation for everyone.

If Robert Abela is confident that the new Police Commissioner will be someone who is truly ideal for the post - someone who would have gone through three rounds of due diligence - then he should not have a problem in submitting that person to a Parliamentary vote.

The same process should be applied for the appointment of other top constitutional roles, such as the Attorney General, the State Advocate, the Ombudsman and the Speaker of the House.