Questions to the Commissioner elicited not even acknowledgement of receipt of questions from PANORAMA on three occasions when we asked:

  • Printer friendly view
 Wednesday, June 3, 2020 - 09:17 Joe Garcia
Questions to the Commissioner elicited not even acknowledgement of receipt of questions from PANORAMA on three occasions when we asked:

What is being done to defend our police officers?

by JOE GARCIA

It was on 21 May that PANORAMA revealed locally that the Spanish Government had lodged a strong protest to the British Embassy in Madrid about a fatal collision at sea between an RGP vessel and a Spanish RHIB launch, and we asked what was the RGP doing about defending its police officers. But the Commissioner refused to answer questions.

We said at the time: Given the seriousness of the ongoing developments, we asked the RGP if they had any comments they would like to make. Our question was this: "You will recall the fatal sea collision in early March and that the RGP has initiated an investigation. Could you please provide details of the investigation and its conclusions."

RGP'S BEHAVIOUR

We added: "In fact, we have asked the RGP about it on three occasions, but they have chosen to remain silent - they have not even had the courtesy of acknowledging our request.

"After the hard-hitting investigation of the RGP by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the behaviour of the RGP towards a request for them to put across their points of view would have been welcomed or they could have explained if their position was otherwise, but not even acknowledging our request leaves much to be desired about the RGP... and seems to confirm, if confirmation were needed, of the behaviour of the RGP."

Be that as it may, the fatal collision had then surfaced in Spanish political circles with accusations being made of a "flagrant violation of Spain's national sovereignty."

WithCommissioner Ian McGrail forever hailing that there is much cooperation with the Spanish authorities, it was revealing, to say the least, when in their protest to Britain, the Spanish Government also said that there is no agreement between Spain and the UK that allows the Gibraltarian police to act "in Spanish territorial waters."

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

In Parliament this week, opposition member Daniel Feetham asked "what is being done to defend the police officers who have been the subject of a 'denuncia'..."in respect of a maritime collision that occurred in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters on 8 March 2020?"

MORE IN PANORAMA PRINT EDITION

03-06-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR