Maltese feasts are placing a major burden on the police, with district stations often left with skeleton staff as officers are pulled away to manage the activities.

In a statement on social media, the Police Officers Union shared a letter from one of its members lamenting the “ridiculous” situation at district stations, with officers expected to cover an entire region despite not having the manpower. 

“My concern is that the police cannot meet the public’s demands,” the officer said. 

The POU claim that village festivities will now be almost exclusively managed by the police, even though it is “clear there are not enough numbers to meet these commitments”.

It said that officers will likely be brought in on forced overtime, which will ultimately place a greater burden on the public with skeleton staff expected to enforce the law in their respective localities. 

The union said it agrees that there should be a police presence at feasts but certain work can be done by Transport Malta and LESA, such as the clearance of cars and road closures.

The POU is asking for a meeting with authorities to address these issues and did not rule out issuing directives. 

Photo source: Veristar (Wikipedia)

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