On Thursday, the Ministry for Home Affairs announced that a reform had been implemented which will allow members of the police force to lodge anonymous reports of alleged abuse within the force without fear of facing disciplinary action.
Before this reform was put in place, a member of the Police Force would have had to face disciplinary proceedings if caught making an anonymous report.
The corps has faced a lot of criticism over the past year, not least over its handling of high profile cases involving politically exposed persons.
However, one cannot forget the fact that the police uniform is not characterised by a small number of bad apples which may be found in every profession, but that there are hundreds of blue-shirted members of the force who provide impeccable and much needed service to the community across the country.
This reform, which is without doubt a positive one, can only serve to strengthen those genuine members of the force against the few individuals who ultimately give them a bad name.
Being able to report alleged wrongdoing without fear of consequences is a cornerstone of any properly functioning organisation in a democratic country – indeed, it is eyebrow raising that it took until 2020 for such a reform to be implemented.
At the bare minimum, this reform should have been implemented in tandem with the Whistleblower Act which was enacted in 2013 by the newly elected Labour government – although it should certainly have been in place even before that.
The fact that it has now been implemented is nonetheless a good step forward. It can be taken as a signal of intent from the new Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, whose decisions so far – such as the immediate replacement of Ian Abdilla as the head of the Economic Crimes Unit – have been the source of cautious optimism.
Such a reform however cannot be standalone. It is pointless to have the facility to report alleged abuse – be it anonymous or otherwise – if there is no willingness to follow up on and investigate those reports.
In his first press conference, Gafa was asked by this newsroom whether he would guarantee that all corruption allegations are investigated. On that day, now three weeks ago, Gafa replied that he could “100% guarantee” that they would be.
That same guarantee and commitment is needed for investigations within the force and into the people inside the force. There will be cases where members of the force will have to investigate their own colleagues – a difficult job no doubt, but one which they must do without fear or favour if they want to honour the oath which they took before entering the force.
When announcing the reform, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said that it is sending a “clear signal of where we want to take the force”.
The reform allows for reports to be filed without fear, but the signal which Camilleri speaks of wanting to send can only be sent if those reports are thoroughly investigated without fear, or favour.