The two unions for police officers have spoken out about the Prime Minister's statement regarding the amnesty for Covid-19 breaches.

In a highly controversial move, Prime Minister Robert Abela has expressed his wish to introduce a mechanism that will refund fines that were issued over breaches of Covid-19 restrictions in certain circumstances.

Members of the public were fined for a number of issues while Covid-19 restrictions were in effect, including breaching rules tied to the maximum number of people allowed to be in groups outside, breaching quarantine and others. There rules had been put in place by the health authorities to keep members of the public safe, and to control the spread of the pandemic. A number of restrictions are still in effect given that Covid-19 is still present in the country.

The two unions representing police officers did not take kindly to the Prime Minister's statement. While The Police Officer's Union expressed concern, the Malta Police Association condemned the statement.

The Malta Police Association (MPA) said that the Prime Minister's declaration was a 'huge insult' to the work conducted by members of the Police Force over the past months. The association said that many officers put their health at risk, as well as that of their families, in order for the legal notices issued by the Superintendence of Public Health to be observed.

It said that, while appreciating the line of the Police Force, which believes that a person should be educated as much as possible, and that it is the courts and justice tribunals that have the power to decide every decision, it is also good to "remember the work of the police and many entities with the relaxation of measures increased and not decreased. This was done in order to ensure that the laws are obeyed, and with a view of protecting public health."

The union asked the Prime Minister "how he expects the police and other entities to continue doing their jobs related to the observance of these restrictions when at the same time is informing the public that the lack of observance of such laws could lead to no kind of summons, and eventually, automatically, is introducing the mentality that anything goes."

The MPA said that if a person fails to wear a safety belt or parks illegally they are not criminals, and said that this kind of thinking by the PM will create discrimination on contraventions.

"It is good to remember that while police officers were doing their duty regarding the legal notices that are still being issued in relation to the pandemic, there were colleagues who were threatened and attacked."

The MPA appealed for the work of the Force to be respected, rather than what was said on a television programme.

The MPA concluded by saying that the Prime Minister's statement was an insult to the majority of the population who, during this period, kept discipline and observed the laws. "Police officers deserve better for the effort they put in."

The Police Officers Union (POU) was softer in its approach, and said that the police respect every decision taken by the Prime Minister and every other legitimate institution, and for this reason is requesting clarifications and more details on this amnesty.

"While we agree with the Prime Minister's statement that these people are not criminals, and naturally it is not in the interest to see members of the public be fined, the fact remains that the police officers as frontliners over the past months dedicated considerable resources to the enforcement of these measures to ensure that they are respected," the POU said.

"This decision is also worrying as in the case that new measures would need to be introduced, the enforcement of these measures will become complicated if there is the perception that there will not be consequences for breaches of measures."

"We believe that the measures being issued by the government on Covid-19 are instrumental for the success of the country in the fight against Covid-19, and that is why we believe in their legitimate enforcement."