The Malta Police Force has launched an anti-police unit to tackle Maltese police crime.
The unit was launched after more than half the country’s traffic police were arrested on suspicion of fraud related to overtime payments, while more serious allegations of widespread graft are also emerging.
“The Malta Police Anti Police Unit (MPAPU) will be tasked with making sure their colleagues aren’t up to no good,” said Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri during a joint press conference with acting police commissioner Carmelo Magri.
“To achieve this, officers in the MPAPU will regularly ask their colleagues if they’re corrupt, and occasionally follow them around to make sure they aren’t taking bribes or extorting anyone,” Commissioner Magri said.
No new officers will be recruited, with officers in the MPAPU being brought in from other sections like the drug squad, the anti-money laundering unit and the ALE – the hunting and trapping enforcement unit.
“The traffic section will be permanently disbanded since it wasn’t doing much work anyway, even without the non-existent overtime,” Magri added.
In total, it is expected that 70 percent of the police force will be transferred to the MPAPU.
The unit will be headed by Police Superintendent Walter Spiteri, the officer formerly in charge of the traffic unit at the heart of the scandal.
