‘No bikini police on my watch’ – ex-chief

Former Police Commissioner John Rizzo strongly denies that police officers under his watch ever took foreign cadets to swim using official police boats. Mr Rizzo, who now heads the Civil Protection Department, told Times of Malta: “This never happened under my watch and if something similar came to my attention I would have initiated immediate disciplinary action. “It is not true this used to happen in the past. If it used to happen, then it was something unauthorised and I didn’t know about it,” he insisted. “Since when do police officers take a break while on patrol? Who gave the members of the police force the authority to take off their uniforms,” an irate Mr Rizzo said when contacted. A furore was caused last week by photos of women sunbathing in bikinis on two police rigid inflatable boats in Għadira. In its initial statement the police had played down the incident, saying those on board formed part of a group of German police on an attachment programme. It said that as “has always been the practice, if they wish, the officers are given the chance of swimming during their break”. This was something that had been taking place for the past 10 years, according to the statement.