I find absolutely no pleasure in writing articles like this one, however I feel duty bound to comment about the sorry situation our Interior Ministry finds itself in, under the current leadership. In fact, no matter which way you try to cut it, the situation is weary at the very best. When we think we have reached the bottom, a gaping chasm opens right below our feet, and we find ourselves exploring new lows.

I am of course referring to the latest episode in this sordid comedy of errors - the heist of no less than 200 kilogrammes of drugs from a high security Armed Forces of Malta barracks in Hal Safi, last weekend.

Two hundred kilos. Let that sink in for a second. That is surely not the sort of volume of anything that you would displace. Certainly not an amount that you can smuggle out of a high security location in a backpack either.

Today, this pallet-load of drugs is back on the market, all thanks to the incompetence of a government who is putting the nation's security at risk.

The minister's sham resignation didn't fool anyone - it actually had the opposite effect. In fact, it betrayed the minister and the Prime Minister's panic to appear to be doing something extraordinary this time. The minister's fake resignation, and the Prime Minister's prompt refusal to accept it only showed their disrespect and lack of sensitivity to the whole situation.

Unfortunately, as I have already alluded, this has only been the latest in this saga of unacceptable episodes of incompetence. The Ministry for the Interior has been plagued by one huge scandal after another, which amount to loss of trust of the public in our nation's institutions which are supposed to keep us safe and protect us.

It was under the current leadership that the Police Force has been neutered and rendered ineffective against the arrogance of a few individuals who do as they please.

It was under the current leadership that the Corradino Correctional Facilities have been allowed to descend into a hellish landscape of bullying and inhumanity. When inmates started dropping like flies, the minister ignored our repeated calls to ask for the resignation of the then director. All this has now been clearly confirmed by the Ombudsman.

It was under this current leadership of the Ministry of the Interior that two Moroccan individuals escaped from an aeroplane at the Malta International Airport and vanished into thin air.

Still under the same leadership, our Identity Card system was rendered a joke, allowing scores of third country nationals to register under fake addresses, once again putting our country's reputation at stake.

The worst thing of all is that the thousands of hard working and genuine army personnel, police officers, correctional facilities workers and all others at our disciplined corps are increasingly growing demotivated, as they feel that they no longer enjoy the respect of those who should know better.

This situation is beyond unacceptable now, and Minister Camilleri needs to shoulder the political responsibility for it.

Interior Minister Byron Camilleri must resign - for real this time. A fake resignation won't cut it this time round.

  Dr Darren Carabott is the Opposition's Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and President of the Public Accounts Committee.