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5 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2016 News GourmetToday every Saturday 16.05pm on TVM Rift between rival police unions widens PAUL COCKS THE General Workers' Union should look into the shenani- gans and behaviour of the pres- ident of its affiliate Police Of- ficers Union (POU) and to curb his theatrics in front of cam- eras, according to the second union representing members of the force, the Malta Police As- sociation (MPA). In a statement, the MPA said Sandro Camilleri should spend less time in front of his web- cam, "in what the public is de- scribing as a new teleshopping programme", and desist from creating a rift between the two unions. The MPA, reacting to Camill- eri's claims of abuse and misap- propriation in the Malta Police Fund cash collected through subscriptions, said that it rec- ognised that bad practices needed to be tackled and that the auditor general should au- dit the fund. It asked Camilleri why, af- ter pushing himself to be nomi- nated as a delegate of the MPA and who could therefore raise as many questions as he want- ed and present motions for discussion, he never attended general confer- ence meetings, as evident in the recorded minutes. The union refuted Camill- eri's claims of misappropriation of money from the fund and insisted that the money col- lected was used to pay for half the presents given to c h i l - dren at Christmas, for legal services, to help members in dire financial need and for other items that were all accounted for. It called on the po- lice commissioner to ensure that all members of the police force ful- filled their obli- gations under law and that no union was discriminated against, in favour of an- other. The MPA said Police Officers Union boss Sandro Camilleri should spend less time in front of his webcam Hunters discuss land ownership issues with environment ombudsman JEANELLE MIFSUD THE commissioner for environ- ment and planning David Pace called on hunters and ramblers to mutually respect usage rights of open countryside in a meeting with the hunting lobby, the Federa- tion for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK). The two sides discussed a num- ber of issues that hunters face in the practice of their activity, includ- ing better signage posts of demarcation between private and public land, the Public Domain Act and any effect this can have on the rights of private ownership. Y e s t e r d a y ' s meeting followed a report published by the commissioner, "Ac- cess to the Countryside – The Right to Ramble", which raised concerned with FKNK. During the meeting, the commis- sioner categorically stated that the report in no way hinted at the no- tion that private landowners would be forced to allow passageways for rambling through their property. "Private property owners' rights, in- cluding any rights that appertain to private footpaths leading to private- ly owned land, will not be lessened, eradicated or affected in any man- ner," the commissioner said, adding that access to the these areas would be to the sole discretion of the indi- vidual land owners. The commissioner explained that, as stated in the report, the rambling trail network will focus on public land, and that private landowners would only join the network at their own discretion. "The aim of this report is to sug- gest a possible method of provid- ing a legislative framework within which rambling can be carried out without prejudicing landowners' rights to the peaceful enjoyment of their property," the original report read. The commissioner added that the report empha- sised the need for mutual respect of usage rights of open countryside be- tween legitimate stakeholders. Both parties agreed that the countryside was di- minishing and with the increased diversity of leisure outdoor activities, pres- sure was increasing for multiple uses on public land. In his report, the commissioner recommended enacting legislation that introduces the concept of ac- cess rights, whereby the prerogative of landowners to regulate access would be recognised while the pres- ence of groups of ramblers will pro- vide a monitoring and 'watchdog' service in favour of the upkeep and preservation of the landscape. According to the commissioner, the proposed scheme would ensure control to access in the interest of safety, biodiversity conservation and better land management. Unlicensed driver's prison sentence overturned on appeal MATTHEW AGIUS AN 18-year old unlicensed driver has seen his three-month prison sentence reduced to a conditional discharge on appeal, after it was held that the original punishment "greatly overshot" the norm in such cases. In July 2015, police had stopped Russlan Cilia on Triq il-Imgarr in Xemxija. Unable to produce a driv- ing licence because he had none, the 18-year old had told the officers that he had left it at home and was asked to present it at the police station within 48 hours. In its sentence of 1 March 2016, the Court of Magistrates (Gozo) had only found him guilty of the first charge, jailing him for three months and disqualifying him from holding a licence for eight days. Cilia filed an appeal, arguing that the punishment was excessive and disproportionate and pointing out that the punishment was the maxi- mum applicable for that offence. He drew attention to the fact that he was a first-time offender, less than 20 years of age. If sent to prison, Cil- ia argued, he would end up being led into delinquency by the other pris- oners who had been incarcerated for far more serious offences. He explained, although without producing any evidence, that at the time of his arrest, he had been a learner driver and had been practis- ing his driving under the watchful eye of his father. He had passed his driving test shortly after, the court heard. He asked the court to reduce the punishment to something "more fitting and just, in the particular cir- cumstances of the case." In a judgement reforming the sen- tence, Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri pointed out that the Court of Ap- peal would normally not delve into the first court's reasoning in choos- ing whatever punishment it in- flicted as long as it was within legal parameters. "Unfortunately, in truth, the Court of First Instance gave no reason for its punishment," Camilleri noted. Taking nothing away from the gravity of the crime, which the court said "manifested contempt towards the law and a tendency to delinquency, as well as indifference to the safety of pedestrians," the imposition of the maximum term of imprisonment to an 18-year old first time offender, far exceeded the punishment usually inflicted in such cases. The court held that in the par- ticular circumstances of the case, a conditional discharge would be more effective than the fixed fine contemplated in the Traffic Regu- lation Ordinance and replaced the 3-month jail term with a 1 year con- ditional discharge. Cilia was warned of the consequences of committing another offence during that time. David Pace