The Malta Police Force has launched a new five-year transformation strategy involving comprehensive reforms aimed at creating a professional and trusted policing service.

The Transformation Strategy 2020-2025 aims at creating a more community-centric approach to policing by employing 11 key strategic objectives that will form the basis of reform over the next five years.

The 11 strategic objectives address issues such as communication with the public, anti-corruption measures, internal restructuring, recruitment and training, amongst others.

Strategic Objective 1:

• Communicate with the public in a clear, consistent and transparent manner

Strategic Objective 2:

• Hold oneself accountable at all times

Strategic Objective 3:

• Strengthen anti-corruption measures and safeguards

Strategic Objective 4:

• Put data and technology at the centre of all operations

Strategic Objective 5:

• Redirect focus of Malta Police officers to where it matters most

Strategic Objective 6:

• Have a workforce with the right size and shape

Strategic Objective 7:

• Have the right capability at all levels the organisation

Strategic Objective 8:

• Improve the quality of life of staff

Strategic Objective 9:

• Make the MPF an employer of choice

Strategic Objective 10:

• Create a leadership and management framework to implement and sustain the transformation

Strategic Objective 11:

• Implement HR Practices that reward the behaviours and attributes that are important to the police

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa spoke about the importance of transforming the current police organisation into “a flexible, efficient, data-driven, community-centric, outcome-focus modern police force.”

A major pillar of the transformative strategy is creating a sense of trust between police and the community, something Gafa acknowledged had been lacking over the past few years as reflected in the drop of police reports and rise in crime.

“The results we’ve seen over the past three years gave us a reality check, we need to take our head out of the sand,” he said.

The Transformative Strategy also received the backing of EU funds in order to help tackle a volatile and unpredictable working environment, as is the case right now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We went for EU funding to send a message at the EU level that we want to reform and adapt to a constantly changing environment,” Gafa said.

“We own the strategy,” he said. “Every member of the police corps had a chance to contribute to this strategy,” he said.

“Contrary to other strategies, we wanted a strategy that will result in transformation.”

What do you make of this new strategy? Let us know in the comments below