The Government has a duty to explain clearly and immediately whether there will continue to be a Police Station in Birkirkara and where this District Police Station will operate from, the Nationalist Party said Friday.

It should also explain why matters have reached this stage without there appearing to have been any concrete plan prepared in advance for the future of one of the country's most important police stations, the party added.

This is not simply an issue concerning a building. It is an issue of planning, priorities and the way in which the Government is managing our country's internal security, the PN said.

It was referring to reports that the building housing the police station will be converted into accommodation for tourism purposes, leaving one of Malta's largest towns without a police station.

The Government can produce as many polished social media videos, promotional campaigns and messages about how much work is being done as it wishes, the PN said. But public safety is not measured by what appears on Facebook or Instagram. It is measured by what is actually happening in our communities, by the presence of Police officers on our streets, by the resources available to officers and by whether citizens feel they have somewhere to turn when they need help. Above all, it is measured by whether our people feel safe in their own country.

It is precisely for this reason that what is happening with Birkirkara Police Station raises serious questions, the party said.

Birkirkara Police Station is not simply a local police station. The Police Force itself lists it as a District Police Station, and it is one of the most significant police stations in Malta in terms of the responsibility it carries. It is the main base for the Ninth Police District, which covers Birkirkara, Attard, Naxxar, Balzan, Lija, Iklin and Għargħur.

The Police Force's official website currently lists only Birkirkara as the District Police Station for this district, with Naxxar listed as the other police station serving a district with a population of more than 70,000 residents. Birkirkara alone has around 30,000 residents. Any decision regarding the future of this station therefore has consequences that extend far beyond a single locality, the PN said.

The Government has a duty to answer a number of simple questions about this case. If it knew that the Birkirkara District Police Station would no longer be operating from its current premises, where did it plan to relocate it? How long has it known? Where is the alternative site? When was it identified? When will it be ready? And what arrangements were planned to ensure that no gap in service is created? Why was an alternative not identified in advance?

The PN recalled that the case of Birkirkara Police Station is not an isolated one. In January 2025, it was reported that at least 26 localities did not have an operational police station of their own, including major localities such as Msida, Mellieħa, Swieqi and Żebbuġ, among others. At the time, it was also reported that Msida Police Station had been closed since October 2023.

More than a year later, the Police Force's official website, on the page covering Msida, Gżira and Ta' Xbiex, still does not list a Police Station in Msida. Instead, it lists Sliema District Police Station and Gżira Police Station as the stations serving that area.

All of this should lead to a broader question: what is the Government's national plan for police stations?

It cannot be the case that one locality after another is left facing uncertainty over its police station, relying on temporary arrangements or forcing residents to depend on stations in other localities, the PN said. Community Policing, digital services and modernisation are all positive tools when used properly. But they should complement an effective Police presence, not become a substitute for a lack of infrastructure or proper planning.

Members of the Police Force carry out difficult work every day. But if we truly want an effective Police Force, we must provide it with the infrastructure, resources, personnel and planning it needs to do its job. We cannot keep demanding more from the Police while the Government fails even to plan where a District Police Station serving more than 70,000 people is to operate from.

The country needs a serious internal security policy that anticipates problems, rather than an administration that reacts to them only after they arise. The Government must therefore state today whether it has identified a concrete alternative site for the Birkirkara District Police Station and, if it has, it must say where it is and when it will become operational.

The safety of our people is not built through social media videos. It is built through a real presence on our streets, accessible police stations, Police officers equipped with the resources they need and a government that plans ahead.

Ultimately, the true measure is not how successfully the Government can create the impression that everything is going well, but whether our people genuinely feel safe in their own country, the PN said.

The statement was signed by Conrad Borg Manche, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Security.