Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/441179
16 CARMELO Abela must have been very good all year round. This Christmas, he got a bonanza of un- expected presents in his stocking: not least, the Ministry for Home Af- fairs and National Security, which includes political responsibility for the Police Force, the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces, im- migration, Detention Services, the Corradino Correctional Facility… the least of which would be consid- ered a headache, to put it mildly, for any one minister to handle. At the risk of putting him off the New Year, my first question for him when we meet for this interview is whether he thinks he might have bit- ten off more than he can chew. Does he think all these sectors might be a bit too much on his plate? "I'm tempted to say 'ask the Prime Minister…'," he begins with a laugh. Looking on the bright side, he re- minds me that the ministry was ac- tually downsized by the time he took it over two weeks ago: with public broadcasting now nestling within the justice portfolio. "So you could say that I have a headache and a half. But whether it is enough or too much for any one minister… I myself don't see it as a job for one minister anyway. I think we should work together. Let's take advantage of the fact that we are all under the same umbrella. After all we have the same goals…" Who does he mean by 'we', ex- actly? "I mean all entities involved in the different sectors: other ministries, in- stitutions, NGOs, etc. I like to speak in the plural rather than singular: it conveys the message that we should really be interested in the nation as a whole, not just what I or any one minister is doing…" There is a certain culture, he goes on, which tends to place emphasis on the individual rather than the is- sue. "We see this in all spheres: even band clubs and such like. We tend to work on our own, rather than to- gether. I think we should change this mentality..." In fact, 'changing mentalities' is very much part of his new job as the minister responsible for the police. By now everyone will be familiar with the unusual circumstances which landed Abela this ministry in the first place: the incident which resulted in the loss of the previous minister had wholly revolved precisely around attitudes and practices prevalent in the police force. It was suspicion of a police cover-up in the Sheehan shooting incident that sparked the inquiry, and an ultimately damning report assigning political responsi- bility to Mallia. This in turn evokes images of another widespread local culture: omertà, and a tendency among the police to close ranks when one of their own is 'under fire'. Strangely, in a country which has been talking about the need for judicial reform for the past two years, there has been no corresponding drive to reform the administrative structures of the Police Force… so much so, that the inquiry report alluded to 'negligence' and the lack of proper internal op- erations and communications struc- tures, as causes of the mishap. As newly appointed minister, how does Abela intend to address short- comings? "If you'll allow me, let me correct your initial statement. We have not been talking about institutional changes for the past two years. We have been talking about changes for a lot longer than that. The dif- ference is that since March 2013 we have been acting on many of these is- sues. The issue now is that, together with a process of judicial reform, we must also embark on reforms within the police force. Not only how they operate, but also in terms of having up-to-date equipment. That is needed. It's something that is missing. For example, how inves- tigations are currently being done. The police need better equipment to conduct their investigations in a fast- er and more modern way. That's why we need to combine the judicial re- form amendments in our legislation, with investment in the police force. But at least with this government, we are not only discussing change, but actually achieving it. This is in sharp contrast with the previous adminis- tration, I must say…" Perhaps, but some of the changes have so far been controversial. One example was the recent change to the contractual obligations for the upper ranks of the Force. A MOU signed by Mallia changed all such contracts from permanent to three- year renewable contracts based on performance. This has been strongly resisted by the Malta Police Asso- ciation, on the ground that the new obligations place high-ranking offic- ers under the direct control of the government. Abela acknowledges that this is controversial, but defends the ar- Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 JANUARY 2015 The long road PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD