Answers have been scarce over a government decision to lower the minimum height requirements for police recruits.

According to information published in the Government Gazette, the minimum height requirement for men has been lowered from 1.68m to 1.67m. The minimum height for women has been reduced from 1.58cm to 1.57m.

A spokeswoman for the Home Affairs Ministry would not explain why the government had changed the height requirements.

“The decision is in line with the current legislation SL 164.01. May I remind you that the previous administration had instances when height was completely left out,” the spokeswoman said.

No reply was received to follow-up questions asking for further clarification regarding why the minimum height had been lowered. Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela also failed last month to explain the reasoning behind the changes.

According to a report published last year, the average height of Maltese men has risen by 11.4cm since 1896, and Maltese women, on average, have grown by 10.7cm in the same period. The average height of Maltese men born in 1896 was 161.9m, but this rose to 173.3m for those born in 1996. The average height of Maltese women born in 1896 rose from 150.2m to 160.9m in 1996.

Last year, Mr Abela told Parliament that several European countries had scrapped police height restrictions and that the Maltese government was open to revising current rules.

In the UK, it is illegal to discriminate against or reject applicants on the basis of their height.

France scrapped its height restrictions for police officers in 2010.

Another contentious issue in recent years has been the blanket ban on people with “excessive” tattoos and piercings joining the police force.

The ban applies to new recruits, but Mr Abela told Parliament that there was no specific policy in place for cases in which former officers were reinstated.

Scores of former officers have rejoined the force since March 2013, when the Labour government swept to power.

According to the ban, officers found to have “excessive” or “visible” tattoos could be subject to disciplinary proceedings and ordered to remove them.