The institution that has to scrutinise the government, but takes the best decisions for the people, is the Maltese Parliament, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said when asked about the European Parliament debate held last Tuesday.

The debate marked the anniversary of the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia "and Malta's ongoing rule-of-law backsliding".

The Labour Party accused the Opposition of "damaging our country abroad," holding a debate in the Maltese Parliament a day later, when a government motion condemning the opposition's behaviour was approved.

In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri was asked about the PL's accusations, given that it was under a Labour Party administration that Malta was greylisted and that a passport scheme was found to be in violation of European law. 

"The discussion in the EP was requested by Maltese like us. Is there a single person or family that benefitted from that EU debate? I don't think so. Nobody from the Opposition said there were people who benefitted," he said. "We face challenges and will continue to face challenges, the question is how we tackle them. The EU is not a big brother. No foreigner is going to encourage you to be better than them.  At the end of the day, we are competing with them on a number of sectors. What are you getting out of going to Europe and gossiping against Malta?"

"If there was an investor who was considering bringing a number of jobs to Malta in high-end sectors through which our families could benefit, do you think that EU Parliament debate helped or disrupted in taking those kinds of decisions? I don't think it helped. So it is all about the approach." He said that even people who tell him they will never vote Labour never told him anything against Malta. He said they make suggestions about what the government should do, "but they don't tell you to go abroad and speak against your country. I know no foreigner that goes abroad to speak against their country."

Hunting illegalities

BirdLife Malta recently said that on some occasions there was a single unit from the environmental Protection Unit (EPU) covering the entire island. Told that this does not seem enough for the hunting and trapping seasons, Camilleri said that "there are enough police numbers, similair to past years, doing that work and there is also assistance from other units."

Regarding investment in the police force, Camilleri said that police officers have bodycams, new uniforms, and also spoke about work that took place on police stations.

"Currently work is ongoing on a number of stations, including in Mtarfa, Msida, Hamrun and others," he said. The minister also said that some new vehicle fleets will also be brought in, including for the Rapid Intervention Unit and for District police."

"If one looks at the budgets allocated to the police force over the past years, they exploded when compared to the past."

As for reforms, he said that the five-year strategy for the police force was recently announced. "We will implement what we published." 

The police have managed to reduce the rate of criminality, he added. He pointed to the results the police are achieving, and mentioned that this was helped with changes that had been made, "such as being a more intelligence-led police force, the setting up of intelligence squads etc." 

"Not only have the number of murders dropped despite the population numbers rising and economic activity increasing, but every murder in the past seven years was solved. That is a big feather in their cap."

Keith Schembri

In a local podcast, Keith Schembri, who is facing a number of criminal charges related to money laundering and leaking government secrets, said "I am still a Labourite and I am helping Robert (Abela)". Abela, confronted by journalists, while saying that Schembri has no role in the Labour Party, went on to say that he keeps a line of communication "with everyone" and said that Schembri communicates with him "as hundreds do regularly". 

Asked whether he believes the Prime Minister's actions send a message to police officers and prosecutors that Schembri has ties to powerful people and for them to tread carefully, Camilleri said: "I don't agree with the way you described it. The Prime Minister told the media what truly happened. The Prime Minister is not the police. The police do their jobs as police. The Prime Minister does the job of a prime minister and politician. One of the obligations of politicians is to speak to everyone. To understand everyone."

Told that it could still be putting some pressure on the police, Camilleri said: "We live in Malta, and everyone has access to politicians. I'll give an example. We go to our district offices, we would have our doors open and everyone can enter. I do it, everyone does it. We are a people that is used to accessible politicians."

"There was never an allegation that the Prime Minister in some way ever tried to interfere," he said. If it wasn't for the Prime Minister, the police would not have been strengthened. As an example, he took a decision for the police commissioner not to be directly appointed as used to happen in the past, but created a process which includes a public call and parliament. That is a feather in his cap." 

"If in some way he didn't want the police force to work he wouldn't have given those budgets," the minister said.

Pressed that the PM having contact with people facing such serious charges could put pressure on the police, Camilleri said: "There were many people who were charged in court who were then found guilty or not guilty, but it doesn't mean that they stopped living or that all of Malta stopped talking to them. There is the justice process and justice take place. The Prime Minister definitely did not do that (put pressure). He said 'whoever talks to me, I will talk to'."

Police mistakes

Asked for his reaction to the court case which found a police officer guilty of slapping a minor who was handcuffed, Camilleri said: "The hardest thing to do is to proceed against a work colleague. And the police did that, as they felt that is what they should do."

"I am informed that an appeal was filed." 

As for whether he is concerned that there could be more abuse in the police force, he said that the number of incidents have reduced. "People make mistakes and fall short. Even in the Vatican there are shortcomings. It happens everywhere, and is part of peoples' nature, everyone falls short at some point or other. The question is how you act when faced with those shortcomings. Over the past years there has been a strong emphasis on police officer ethics and how officers act."

He said that the Code of ethics had been updated and is enforced, which he said strengthened the behaviour of the force. 

Such instances had decreased over the years "as an iron hand was used against those who had fallen short so as to send a message to others not to do so. When they had to take hard decisions, they did." 

The minister also mentioned bodycams, emphasising that they helped reduce violence against police officers, adding that the evidence collected through such cameras applies to both sides.

Asked whether he thinks the police could have done more when it came to following up on certain allegations over the years when it came to high profile individuals than they did, given that a number of charges followed magisterial inquiries that had been requested by third parties and not the police, he said: "I don't agree with you on this. There were inquiries that were requested by the police themselves. An inquiry is requested primarily because you would need resources, including the appointment of experts who would not be within the police force." 

 "There were a number of inquiries that police themselves asked for, so on this I don't agree with you."