12 new specialised vehicles for the police force were inaugurated on Friday, after an investment to the tune of €500,000.

The 4x4 type vehicles will be used in addition to the existing fleet in the districts, and with other fleets of specialized police branches.

The vehicles will be able to reach remote places which could not be reached with the existing cars, particularly on rescue operations.

Part of the financing of four of these vehicles was obtained from European funds, through the Internal Security Fund (Borders and Visa).

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said that this investment is the first of its kind in the police force, adding that government is making an unprecedented investment in the disciplined corps to strengthen security for Maltese and Gozitan citizens.

The investment will also help officers in the performance of their duties, he said. Camilleri said that other investments are also being made in devices which help the corps in their job.

He said that in the first six months of this year, there was a reduction of around 4% in reported cases compared to the same period last year.

Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett said that the investment will provide additional support to officers working in the Immigration section.

He said that this investment is part of the 'Malta Police Force's Specific Actions for Border Surveillance' project, where the police force was awarded €2,666,666.67 from the Internal Security Fund in order to obtain more equipment when it comes to border control operations and surveillance measures. Bonett said that this serves to better address the challenge of irregular immigration in the country.

Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa said that this fleet of new vehicles will assist district police in their daily work, as well as other police sections which do surveillance work around the Maltese coast.

Gafa reiterated that the vehicles will facilitate access to remote areas, adding that the colours of the vehicles are also intended to increase the police’s visibility on the road.