The Malta Police Force ( mt, Il-Korp tal-Pulizija ta’ Malta) is the national
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
force of the
Republic of Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms & Equality and its objectives are set out in ''The Police Act, Chapter 164'' of the Laws of Malta.
As of 2020, the force is made up of around 2,400 members.
Organisation
The duty of the executive police to preserve public order and peace, to prevent and to detect and investigate offences, to collect evidence and to bring the offenders, whether principals or accomplices, before the judicial authorities.
![Fiat Tipo Pulizija](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Fiat_Tipo_Pulizija.jpg)
Specialised Branches:
* Anti-Money Laundering
* Community Policing
* Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU)
* Criminal Intelligence & Analysis Unit (CIAU)
* Cyber Crime Unit (CCU)
* Domestic Violence Unit (DSQ)
* Drugs Squad (DSQ)
* Economic Crimes
* Environment Protection Unit (EPU)
* Gender-Based & Domestic Violence (GBDV)
* Homicide
* Immigration
* International Relations Unit (IRU)
* K9 Section
* Major Crimes (CID)
* Mounted Section
* Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU)
* Special Intervention Unit (SIU)
* Stolen Vehicle Squad (SVS)
* Traffic
* Vice Squad (VSQ)
* Victim Support Unit (VSU)
Ranks
History
The Malta Police Force is one of the oldest police forces in Europe. In its present form, it dates from a proclamation during the governorship of
Sir Thomas Maitland
Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Thomas Maitland (10 March 1760 – 17 January 1824) was a British soldier and British colonial governor. He also served as a Member of Parliament for Haddington from 1790 to 1796, 1802–06 and 1812 ...
(1813–1814). When Malta became a crown colony of the United Kingdom by the Treaty of Paris, Maitland was appointed Governor and commander-in-chief of Malta and its dependencies by the Prince Regent's Commission of 23 July 1813. On his appointment Maitland, embarked on many far reaching reforms, including the maintenance of law and order.
By Proclamation XXII of 1 July 1814, Maitland ordered and directed that all powers up to then exercised with respect to the administration of the police of the island of Malta and its dependencies were to be administered by the authorities under established procedures, after 12 July 1814.
![1814 proclamation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/1814_proclamation.JPG)
The police was to be divided into two distinct departments – the executive police and the judicial. The inspector general of police (nowadays the commissioner of police) was to be the head of the executive police, and received orders from the governor. The magistrates of police for Malta and for Gozo were to be the heads of the judicial police.
After the grant of self-government in 1921, the police department became the responsibility of the Maltese government. The first minister appointed, who was responsible for justice and the police, was Dr
Alfredo Caruana Gatto
Count Alfredo Caruana Gatto (3 September 1868 – 15 October 1926) was a Maltese lawyer, politician and naturalist.
He was born on 3 September 1868 in Valletta to Antonio Caruana Gatto and Vincenza Formosa. He studied at the University of Malta, ...
.
The sidearm carried by most police officers is generally the
Glock 17
Glock is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H., Glock Ges.m.b.H. The ...
chambered in
9x19mm.
General headquarters
The Police Depot, as it is known today, was built by the Portuguese Grand Master Manoel De Vilhena in 1734 and at first it served as an institute called
Casa D’Industria, a home for homeless women. They were taught basic skills and education such as reading, writing and some trades like weaving, carding and processing cotton.
In 1850, during the British occupation period, this building was used as the General Hospital. Beneath this building, a shelter was dug at the beginning of the Second World War in order to tend to wounded patients who could not be easily moved from one place to another. This space therefore provided a safer environment for patients during air bombardments. It is interesting to note that this is not only the only shelter in the Maltese Islands used for this function. There is no known underground hospital on the continent that was built or dug out to operate in this way.
It was in 1954 that the Police Force moved into this building and turned it into its General Headquarters, from where it still operates today.
Police museum
The museum is divided into two sections: each section is housed in a separate hall. The first section deals with the administrative history of the force and the second part is about some of the criminal cases.
In the first hall, one will see various objects and belongings, for example uniforms, badges, medals, decorations, weapons and many other interesting things including tools and vehicles which were all required and used in different periods which helped the Police Force to carry out its duty to the best of its ability.
In the second hall one can see made-up scenes of crime that happened in Malta.
Police commissioners
*Col
Francesco Rivarola
Lieutenant-General the Most Noble Francesco, Count Rivarola (also known as Sir Francis Rivarola) was a Corsican who became a senior British Army officer, and served in the Napoleonic Wars throughout the Mediterranean Region. He was involved in ...
(1814–1822)
*Lt Col Henry Balneavis (1822–1832)
*Charles Godfrey (1832–1844)
*Frederick Sedley (1845–1858)
*Hector Zimelli (1858–1869)
*Raffaele Bonello (1869–1880)
*Col Attillo Sceberras (1880–1884)
*Capt. Richard Casolani, RMFA (1884–1888)
*Melitone Caruana (1888–1890)
*Comm. Hon. Clement La Primaudaye, MVO., RN (1890–1903)
*Tancred Curmi (1903–1915)
*Claude W. Duncan (1916–1919)
*Col Henry W. Bamford, OBE (1919–1922)
*Antonio Busuttil (1922–1923)
*Mjr Frank Stivala (1923–1928)
*Captain Salvatore Galea (1928–1939)
*Lt Col Gustavus S. Brander, OBE (1930–1932)
*Joseph Axisa (1939–1947)
*Joseph Ullo (1947–1951)
*Herbert Grech (1951–1954)
*George Cachia, L.P. (1954–1956)
*Vivian Byres de Gray, MVO., MBE., BEM (1956–1971)
*Comm. Alfred J. Bencini (1971–1973)
*Edward Bencini (1973–1974)
*Enoch Tonna (1974–1977)
*John N. Cachia (1977–1980)
*Dr Lawrence Pullicino, LL.D. (1980–1987)
*Bgdr. John Spiteri, AFM (1987–1988)
*Alfred A. Calleja (1988-1992)
*
George Grech
George Grech is the former Police Commissioner of Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, a ...
(1992–2001)
*John Rizzo (2001–2013)
*Peter Paul Zammit, L.P. (2013–2014)
*Michael Cassar (2014–2016)
*Lawrence Cutajar (2016–2020)
*Angelo Gafa (2020–)
References
External links
The Malta Police Force Website
{{Europe topic, Law enforcement in
Law enforcement in Malta
Law enforcement agencies in Europe
National Central Bureaus of Interpol