‘Inner Workings’ Of Police Divulged By Repubblika As NGO Insists Angelo Gafa’ Must Resign
Repubblika president Robert Aquilina provided some details, which he said he heard from police officers, about how police commissioner Angelo Gafa’ operates as the person in charge of the force.
In a press conference last night which called for Gafa’s resignation, Aquilina said the commissioner had in 2020 inherited a police force that was still reeling from the “obscenities” that took place under his predecessor Lawrence Cutajar but that which was generally motivated to work.
“However, Gafa’ managed to mess up the good aspects of the police force too and even did a worse job than his predecessor,” Aquilina warned.
The Repubblika president portrayed Gafa’ as a micro-manager who doesn’t trust police officers, except for those in his inner circle, to get the job done.
“Other than a clique of a chosen few, Gafa’ treats all officers as suspects and people not worthy of his trust,” Aquilina said.
“He has stripped them off all sense of initiative and professional satisfaction. He boasts about introducing discipline when in reality he has managed to demoralise the entire police force.”
“No matter who you speak to, except for the chosen few, everyone says how distraught they are at the way the police force has collapsed and the disrespectful way Gafa’ treats his officers.”
“A police union even had to take industrial action, which has been ongoing for months and is still ongoing.”
Aquilina warned that several police officers have resigned over the past two years, including some who were approaching pensionable age after nearly concluding their 25 years of service.
He cited the recent resignation of an “Assistant Commissioner with integrity” (a reference to Stephen Mallia) and the Ombudsman’s ruling that Superintendent Ray D’Anastasi had been unfairly passed over for promotion to Assistant Commissioner under Cutajar’s reign in 2016.
“Gafa’ ignored this case and D’Anastasi had to file a constitutional case,” Aquilina warned.
Repubblika also warned that Gafa’ has failed to prosecute a single case of corruption that took place after 2013, has reneged on his promises to keep the public regularly updated through press conferences, and refuses to investigate cases when parallel magisterial inquiries are ongoing.
And said the recent case involving gaming consultant Iosif Galea shows the police hasn’t progressed since the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and remains “a police force of impunity, omerta’, friends of friends, tolerance to corruption and inaction against blatant criminality”.
“We have never asked for his resignation until now but Gafa’ has killed our hope with his lack of action and we have no problem saying that he is an integral part of the police force’s acute problems,” Aquilina said. “His only remaining option is to resign. We have absolutely no faith in Angelo Gafa’.”
Cover photo: Left: Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa’, Right: Repubblika president Robert Aquilina
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