What are the reinstated police officers doing?

About a quarter of police officers reinstated after Labour’s return to power in 2013 were allocated non-policing duties in government ministries, the Times of Malta is informed. Police sources said only a handful of the over 100 officers who returned to the corps six years ago were still active in the force. “Most of them have retired again, though receiving a much higher pension,” a senior officer said. The few remaining others, he continued, were doing office jobs at the police headquarters or asked to be seconded to government ministries, including as private secretaries to ministers they used to “help” before the election. According to recent information given in Parliament, 119 police officers were reinstated since 2013 following a change in the rules. Twenty-six of them are serving in ministries though still on the police payroll. These included the Office of the Prime Minister and the ministries responsible for justice, Gozo, education and transport. Others were seconded to the Freeport, Identity Malta and even an NGO. The police sources described such secondments as unnecessary, deeming them “the usual political favours so certain people can continue receiving a pay...