It is surreal how Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment Byron Camilleri, responded to a legitimate parliamentary question from the Opposition regarding the alleged wrongful arrest of four people - following a raid at an incorrect address, the Nationalist Party said.
Four people living in Swieqi have claimed that heavily armed police officers mistakenly raided their apartment, holding them at gunpoint and restraining them in a violent mix-up. The incident, which occurred last month on Triq is-Swieqi, has been detailed in a judicial protest filed by the residents. They allege that police officers burst into their home without identifying themselves, offering no explanation for the forced entry.
In a statement on Wednesday, the PN said that in Parliament the Opposition made it clear that it would not delve into the merits of the case since it is still pending, and simply requested clarification on what happened and how such a mistake occurred, the PN said Wednesday. Yet, in his reply, the Minister sought to shift the blame onto the magistrate, claiming that the Police acted on the magistrate's orders.
At the same time, the Opposition reminded Parliament of two similar and separate incidents that had previously occurred in Marsa: one involving a break-in at the home of a 95-year-old woman, and another where a person was arrested by mistake during a night-time raid - both resulting from incorrect or misleading address information.
It is astonishing that the Minister would lay blame on the Magistrates, who are unable to defend themselves or respond to such allegations, the PN said. The Minister should know that warrants for such raids are issued on the basis of the information presented to the Court. That information, in turn, is meant to rely on the country's own address records.
The minister should instead focus on the lack of resources which, together with the sheer volume of work, are leading to avoidable mistakes that are affecting both the quality of service and the lives of our officers on the ground. These same mistakes are also giving rise to serious injustices, the PN said.
The truth remains that this government has lost control over the national address registry and over who is truly residing in homes across Malta and Gozo. This is evident from the large amount of correspondence issued by the Central Government - including hospital appointments, health service notifications and Treasury cheques - that continues to be sent to individuals who do not actually live at the addresses where they are registered.
The minister must be honest and transparent: he should give a clear explanation about the state of the national address registry, the PN said. He should also publicly commit to the creation of a system that allows every homeowner or tenant the right to verify who is registered at their residential address, it added.
The PN also called on the Labour Party to stop resorting to fear tactics every time its policy failures are exposed - failures that are leaving the Police without the adequate resources they need to carry out their duties properly.
In reply, the Labour Party said it is Nationalist MP Darren Carabott who is blaming the magistrate through his social media posts.
Instead of learning that serious things should not be subject to a lot of haste and partisan politics, Carabott persisted erroneously, the PL said. And now joining him there is also Joe Giglio.
In Parliament yesterday, Minister Byron Camilleri read the facts from a statement by the Police Force. That showed that Carabott was quick to write on Facebook on a serious case that ended up in Court. Carabott has been quick to draw incorrect conclusions and no one is to blame about this issue, the PL said.
"It is more honourable for someone to regularize himself when he rushes to incorrect conclusions. But Darren Carabott doesn't know how to acknowledge mistakes. Instead he persists with a dishonest behaviour that undermines the work of the institutions and the Police Force."