Repubblika today demanded that a public independent inquiry be conducted into the current situation concerning the Police Corps which would establish whether there is a culture of abuse, corruption and impunity, look into the reasons that have led to the current situation and make recommendations in the light of what emerges from the inquiry.

The facts that are emerging about the situation in the Police Corps are shocking and point towards a culture of abuse, corruption and impunity that has also taken root within the Police Corps, the NGO said in a statement.

This is clearly not a case of abuse by particular individuals, but a corrupt structure where power was being used for illicit personal gain and to hide the filth and corruption that was being generated.

This is a serious threat to democracy, a threat to the rule of law and a threat to our freedom.

This is why we are demanding this inquiry, the NGO said.

This is not an investigation into individual criminal behaviour, nor is it a condemnation of those members of the Police Corps who do their duty and who deserve our respect.

This is an investigation into the hidden corrupt culture, structures and networks that have corroded the very core of the Police Corps.

The permissiveness and evident complicity of members of the Police Corps is further proof of the collapse of our country’s institutions, and of the fact that corruption has reached such high and widespread levels that is has even corrupted those who are entrusted to fight it.