1,676 officials from the Armed Forces of Malta, Police, Civil Protection Department, LESA, and Detention Services provided security services during the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting which took place this week in Malta, the Ministry for Home Affairs said on Sunday, adding that this was the biggest Ministerial conference ever held in the country.

Of these 1,676 officials, the Ministry detailed that 1,058 were with the Police, 474 were soldiers of the Armed Forces of Malta, 72 were LESA officials, 65 were officials of the Civil Protection Department, and 7 were Detention Service officials.

The Ministry stated that the work of these officers ensured security during the Ministerial Council, not only for the Maltese citizens, but also for the Foreign Affairs Ministers of 57 participating states of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It continued that the work of these officials was varied, starting in the preparations prior to the council convening and reaching its fullness with the arrival of the delegations in Malta.

These officials, the Ministry continued, carried out this important work which received words of praise from those visiting the country.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri expressed his thanks to the Maltese uniformed officers, adding that they carried out this difficult but important task in the best possible way. He remarked that the government promises that it will continue to be supportive of the officials and continue to invest in them.

Camilleri concluded that the success of this Ministerial conference, organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, was therefore complemented by the success with which the Maltese officials carried out their duties.