Why should the police have a catering unit?

"The police force, which also falls under Dr Mallia’s political responsibility, provided food through its catering unit."

Many are questioning whether it was right and proper for the Minister to use the police and its catering unit to serve food and beverage at an official government function.

Presumably if as government claims this has saved expenses on the alternative of hiring a private catering contractor  and this has been done without prejudicing the level of resources that remained available for the police's normal core functions, one should applaud such initiative.   It helps to keep a lid on public expenditure.  Once a catering unit exists why not use it to the the full in the interest of getting maximum mileage from existing resources?

But to me the right questions to ask are:

• Should the police have a catering unit?   
• Would it provide economies if such non-core function is farmed out rather than keeping it inside the police force?   
• Does such a unit not distract from the focus that the Police should have on their core function of law and order?

These are the questions that should be asked.   It is time to thing strategically rather than complain about tactics.