{"id":59227,"date":"2026-08-02T11:24:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=59227"},"modified":"2026-08-02T11:24:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:24:50","slug":"prime-minister-robert-abela-visits-the-rapid-intervention-unit-and-the-special-intervention-unit-in-ta-kandja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/02\/prime-minister-robert-abela-visits-the-rapid-intervention-unit-and-the-special-intervention-unit-in-ta-kandja\/","title":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Robert Abela visits the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Special Intervention Unit in Ta&#8217; Kandja"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister Robert Abela visited two sections within the Police Force in Ta&#8217; Kandja, where he was able to see up close the specialized work carried out by the Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU) and the Special Intervention Unit (SIU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the visit, the Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs and Security Glenn Bedingfield and the Police Commissioner Angelo Gaf\u00e0, delivered an important message of political commitment from the Government to implement a measure from the electoral manifesto in favour of the health and safety of officers in the disciplined forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image alignright uagb-block-a500e36f wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-right\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296c.jpg ,http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296c.jpg 780w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296c.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-59230\" width=\"420\" height=\"300\" title=\"PM Robert Abela visits visits the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Special Intervention Unit in Ta' Kandja\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the Government recognises the particular needs of officers of the disciplined forces and the particular challenges they face in the performance of their duties. He explained how in this legislature, as part of the implementation of the electoral manifesto, the Government wants to provide health insurance to all officers of the disciplined forces so that they have wider access to the health services they require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Prime Minister visited the training area and the fleet of operational vehicles of the two units. He was also given an explanation of the practical training that takes place in dedicated facilities, including exercises related to access to buildings in situations where the risk is classified as high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image alignleft uagb-block-ea71fbde wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-left\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296b.jpg ,http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296b.jpg 780w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296b.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-59229\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" title=\"r r u\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Abela thanked the RIU and SIU officers for the dedication, professionalism and courage they show every day in the performance of their duties and in protecting the security of the Maltese and Gozitan people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He reiterated that the Government is committed to continuing to invest in the necessary personnel and resources, including adequate training and technological equipment, so that members of the Police Force can continue to provide excellent services. The Prime Minister stressed that investment in the Force is a direct investment in the security of families, communities and the country in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RIU is the unit that covers response, in fact this unit works twenty-four hours a day. Its officers respond to a wide range of emergencies, including cases of domestic violence, traffic accidents, theft, fires and situations involving weapons. This unit of the Force also has a regular and visible presence in a number of areas around the country and also offers operational assistance to various other units within the Police Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent months, the RIU has continued to be strengthened through a new fleet of specialized vehicles and new uniforms specially designed to offer these officers greater mobility, comfort and efficiency while performing their duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, the SIU section is responsible for the tactical response to high-risk situations, including cases involving hostages, armed individuals, terrorist threats and counter-drug operations. This section also provides specialized training in weapons, first aid and crowd control, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister Robert Abela concluded by saying that the Government will continue to support the Police Force so that officers continue to have the conditions, resources and training necessary to continue carrying out their duties with the highest level of professionalism, while further strengthening the public&#8217;s trust in them and keeping our communities safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Photos:<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<em>OPM<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_59227\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59227\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prime Minister Robert Abela visited two sections within the Police Force in Ta&#8217; Kandja, where he was able to see up close the specialized work carried out by the Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU) and the Special Intervention Unit (SIU). During the visit, the Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs and Security Glenn [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_59227\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59227\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 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loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-150x96.jpg",150,96,true],"medium":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-300x191.jpg",300,191,true],"medium_large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_0x420":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_80x60":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-80x60.jpg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-324x300.jpg",324,300,true],"td_696x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_1068x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_100x70":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-100x70.jpg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-324x160.jpg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-324x235.jpg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-356x220.jpg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-356x300.jpg",356,300,true],"td_533x261":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a-471x261.jpg",471,261,true],"td_534x462":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_696x385":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_741x486":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false],"td_1068x580":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pr261296a.jpg",471,300,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Bernard Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Prime Minister Robert Abela visited two sections within the Police Force in Ta&#8217; Kandja, where he was able to see up close the specialized work carried out by the Rapid Intervention Unit (RIU) and the Special Intervention Unit (SIU). During the visit, the Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs and Security Glenn&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59231,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59227\/revisions\/59231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}