The Royal Gibraltar Police has disbanded the Drug Squad and Community Policing Team due to “resourcing issues” and the force is instead working holistically to target crime.
This was revealed during an exchange in Parliament last Thursday, where the Minister for Justice, Nigel Feetham, confirmed that the Drug Squad and Community Policing Team were no longer operating as stand-alone units.
An RGP spokesman told the Chronicle that the force is around 18 police officers short of full complement without taking into account officers on sick leave.
The decision to disband these stand-alone units comes after the 2022 His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) inspection of the RGP.
“The Command Team made the decision to re-deploy officers due to an increasing need to support other high-risk areas in policing, such as safeguarding young people and the vulnerable, economic crime, front line policing, the Domestic Abuse Team, and Special Branch, to name a few,” the spokesperson said.
“However, in the last six months Response Team officers and other departments have arrested 89 people in relation to drugs offences and have seized approximately 55 grammes of Class A Drugs (cocaine) and 181 grammes of Class B drugs (cannabis).”
“Response Team officers have taken over the responsibility of community policing until we have sufficient numbers for a Community Policing Team again.”
An RGP spokesman also confirmed that its Dog Section was disbanded by the force due to providing “no real value to policing”.
“Therefore, through collaboration with the Gibraltar Defence Police, the RGP disbanded the unit and redeployed police officers into higher risk policing areas,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman added that there are currently 11 officers in training school who are due to start just before Christmas.
“We are also in the process of civilianising 10 Control Room posts and five Custody Detention officer posts,” the spokesman said.
In Parliament, Mr Feetham said the force had the Government’s support when requesting resources, adding that operational decisions are not a matter for the Government.
He said that after discussions with the Commissioner, he was reassured that “the RGP’s approach to policing is demand and risk-based”.
“The RGP will deploy resources as and where these resources are required,” he said.
“When I’ve asked the Commissioner whether that means that there isn’t community policing, the answer is that there is.”
“Resources are deployed according to the priorities and the risks that are perceived by the command team in individual cases.”
Mr Feetham told Parliament that the RGP does pursue drug offences adequately.
“Let me make it absolutely clear, there cannot be any suggestion that the RGP does not investigate and pursue drug offences,” Mr Feetham said.
“It needs to be absolutely clear to this House that that’s not the case.”
“The Commissioner has reassured me categorically that resources are deployed, there are lead officers that investigate drugs, and indeed any report of any drugs offences are pursued by the RGP.”
“The difference is what you don’t have a dedicated unit set up for that purpose because officers could be involved one day in investigating an allegation of a drug offence, and the following month they could be investigating a sexual offence or domestic violence.”
He added that “Gibraltar is a small place and there are finite resources”, and what the RGP does with its resources, which he said are always provided when requested, are operational decisions for the force.
“The resources that are available need to be deployed in the best possible way, and those are operational decisions for the Commissioner of Police.”
“It’s not for the Government to tell the Commissioner how he deploys the resources within the force.”
“We have had two recruitment batches of officers, we have given commitments to the RGP that the number of officers should not fall below the complement level.”
“We as a Government support the RGP and have provided the RGP with resources whenever those resources have been requested.”
“It is for the RGP to decide what its priorities are, and that is an operational decision for the Commissioner of Police, it is not a decision for a minister or any honourable member in this House.”
Mr Feetham’s comments were in response to GSD MP Joelle Ladislaus, who had tabled questions on the RGP’s resources and manning of units.
Mr Feetham had confirmed that there is no Community Policing Team, with these officers deployed to high-risk areas.
“In view of this, the RGP feels it now better understands its demands and accordingly redeploys officers,” he said.
“It is also, in any event, the RGP's view that every officer engages with the community offering a holistic service that is coordinated by the RGP Operational lead.”
Ms Ladislaus also asked the Government for the total cost of the refurbishments carried out to Building 209, British Lines, regarding kennels for the RGP's Dog Section.
“The Police Dogs were never housed at the kennels situated at Building 209 as the unit was disbanded by the RGP at their own discretion, before the completion of the works,” Mr Feetham said.
“The total cost of the refurbishments carried out to Building 209 as regards the kennels for the RGP's Dog Section, which had been carried out at the specific request of the RGP, was £221,544.41.”
“It was an operational decision by the RGP… this was money spent by the then Commissioner.”