Nineteen of Malta’s police officers have been found guilty of criminal offences since 2017, new figures have revealed. 

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri revealed the figures following a parliamentary question from Ivan Bartolo. 

No details were given as to what criminal offences these officers committed. It also does not give any indication on how many have been charged with a crime or how many officers are currently facing charges.

The figures, for example, do not include the plethora of police officers and superintendents who were charged in connection to an extra-duty racket. It also does not include a recent case involving a superintendent testing positive for cocaine.

There are issues within the police force elsewhere. Former Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta are both under criminal investigation for potentially leaking information from the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination investigation.

Meanwhile, Inspector Elton Taliana has been suspended pending an investigation into whether he passed on information to the lawyer of Yorgen Fenech, the main suspect in the murder.

Committing a criminal offence does not necessarily mean that the individual will be disbarred from the police. Just a few years ago, then-Police Minister Michael Farrugia introduced a policy which allowed people with a criminal record to join the police force.

What do you think of these figures?