The impact of civilianisation on the core duties of the Malta Police Force

Abstract

Throughout the past years, civilianisation has been one of the pillars of the Malta Police Force. It was also included as part of the objectives in the 2020-2025 Transformational Strategy. This study aims to analyse the impact of civilians on the Malta Police Force whilst understanding their effect on the core duties of the force. Civilianisation has been a part of the agenda of police forces worldwide for many years, with countries like Canada and the U.K. having some of the most robust civilian numbers within their police units. In Malta and worldwide, civilians have two main applications; administrative and technical. From an administrative point of view, civilians fulfil roles in HR, Finance and Project Management, amongst others. On the other hand, technical civilians perform functions in crime analysis, financial intelligence, cyber crime, forensics and technology, amongst others. In essence, both applications aid in enhancing the workforce and the skills of the police force whilst re-focusing sworn officers on core duties such as patrols and community engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior officials within the Malta Police Force that have civilians under their command. Most participants agreed on challenges such as acceptance by sworn officers and recruitment and retention of employees, especially when competing with the private sector. From a positive point of view, all participants agreed that civilians play an essential role in the future of the Malta Police Force due to their fresh perspectives, academic knowledge and expertise, amongst others. Therefore this study has shed some light on the advantages and disadvantages of civilianisation programmes, particularly within the local context and how they will impact the police force. Despite this, the continued challenge of recruitment and retention, both for civilians and sworn officers, has to be countered by various initiatives that put the Malta Police Force at par or near the private sector. Putting such efforts into one basket with other strategies and initiatives can make the Malta Police Force an employer of choice whilst offering safety and security to the public.