The GSD says that the sudden announcement that the Commissioner of Police will stand down from his role “raises serious questions as to the causes and circumstances that require full answers.”

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “This was someone who clearly was eager to do his role and energised within it. He had been a regular participant alongside Government Ministers in COVID press conferences. He had played a full role in fronting the Police on a number of recent initiatives. There was no inkling he would take premature retirement. The Commissioner’s appointment had been announced in December 2017 with him taking up his post as from May 2018 on a four-year warrant. His warrant was therefore not due to expire till May 2022 at the earliest. It is peculiar that he should announce his retirement in this immediate and sudden way.

“There has already been rife speculation about the immediate period and circumstances leading up to this announcement. The Commissioner occupies an important post in the context of our democratic and official institutions. It is important therefore in the interests of the standing of our institutions and democratic values that the questions that arise are fully investigated and answered.

“We will be pursuing some of these questions in Parliament.”