Written by YGTV Team on 06 June 2023.
Last week saw a team from the UK National CBRN Centre deploy to Gibraltar to deliver a 4-day Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Operational and Tactical Command Course. The National CBRN Centre, which forms part of Counter Terrorism Policing brings together all three emergency services at a national level and exists to support and assure an emergency response to a CBRN incident. 30 members from across the Gibraltar’s Emergency Services, other responding partners and the military completed the course. The training was arranged by HM Government of Gibraltar’s Office of Civil Contingencies.
The Minister responsible for Civil Contingencies, Samantha Sacramento, addressed the students on their last day of the course and emphasised the importance for Gibraltar to remain best prepared to respond to any scenario which will call upon our emergency services and responding agencies to keep Gibraltar’s community safe. She said that whilst there is no specific intelligence to suggest that there is an increased threat of terrorist or hostile states using chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attack methods against Gibraltar, it is imperative that we have the capability and capacity to be able deal with such a threat. Minister Sacramento thanked the National CBRN Centre for their continued support and acknowledged the very strong links that exist between Gibraltar and the National CBRN Centre which was established immediately after the attacks in Salisbury which saw the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The Office of Civil Contingencies will continue to work closely with the National CBRN Centre as it seeks to further develop its CBRN capabilities and training.
Inspector David Lowe, Head of Training and Development at the National CBRN Centre said: “It has been an honour to return to Gibraltar and work with all the Emergency Services, ensuring that commanders are prepared to face the most extreme of threats. Whilst CBRN terrorism remains an extremely low likelihood, the global community must remain vigilant and prepared to face the challenges it presents. Gibraltar’s Emergency Services are dedicated to ensuring that they are always prepared to keep the public safe and have demonstrated this week that they are a unified team in that mission. We look forward to a continued relationship of cooperation and support between the United Kingdom CBRN Centre and HM Government of Gibraltar."
