Alfred Bencini

Alfred John Bencini (23 March 1917 – 6 October 1991) was a Maltese Olympic sprinter and Commissioner of Police. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Life

Early life and sports Bencini was born in 1917 to Robert and Gemma (née Pellegrini-Petit) Bencini in Attard, Malta at their family home, Villa Marchesi. He was educated at the Old Lyceum, where he matriculated to the Royal University of Malta in 1934.

During his time at university, he concurrently played top-flight and second-division football at the Hamrun Spartans, Hibernians, Valletta F.C. and St George's. In 1936, he was the local 100m champion, and was therefore selected to represent Malta at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Police In 1939, in response to the start of the Second World War, Bencini passed public examinations to become a Police Inspector, as part of the Valletta and Water region. In 1950, he served as the Chief Welfare Officer aboard the ocean liner Ocean Victory in his capacity as an Inspector of Police in Malta, as part of the large amount of Maltese immigration to Australia.

In 1956, he was promoted to superintendent.

He would in 1981 publish an autobiography, Nothing But the Truth, which went into further depth about his disputes with Mintoff. His daughter Marlene is the mother of Australian entrepreneur and CEO of Precision Group Shaun Bonétt.