A protest called for police commissioner Angelo Gafa to take concrete action against high-profile political and public figures implicated in crime and corruption scandals.

Repubblika president Robert Aquilina addressed a crowd outside police headquarters earlier today where he took aim at Gafa and his apparent inaction in prosecuting a number individuals, including former prime minister Joseph Muscat and his chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

“We gave him days, months and even a year but his probation has ended,” he said. “Could it be that you didn’t notice anything when, in the same building that you worked in everyday, your colleagues had become one and the same with and conspired along with criminals and murderers?”

Headway has been made in the prosecution of Keith Schembri and Nexia BT. However, Aquilina claims this was the doing of former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and not because of direct action by the police.

“So far we have seen no concrete results whatsoever,” he said.

Aquilina also criticised recent efforts to rebrand the police force as taking precedence over direct action against Malta’s criminal web while hinting that further inaction could see Repubblika calling for Gafa’s resignation.

“We didn’t come here asking for your resignation, but our patience is thinning,” he said. “We’re disappointed by the inaction we’ve seen despite your appointment”.

Earlier this year it was rumoured that Gafa would be stepping down to join the Financial Investigation and Analysis Unit. However, the police commissioner denied such claims and instead expressed his desire to oversee far-reaching police reforms outlined in a new five-year police strategy.

Plastered on the police headquarter gates were photos of individuals Repubblika believes action should be taken against.