New Commissioner of Police on probation

If you ask me I will tell you that he must have been seen as a faithful deputy to Ian McGrail, and if aspects of McGrail did not receive welcome support in official circles, , 'thinking heads' must have been wondering if appointing Ullger they would not be inheriting a sort of McGrail.

If it was thought that at this point in time there was no one who could be Commissioner, the safe option was to appoint the Deputy, rather than bring an outsider, but with certain reservations.

The previous Commissioner let the side down when he only implemented, in a whole year, two out of eight recommendations in an official police report, while the latest report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) chalked up some black marks which needed correcting.

Was Ullger the man to correct any black marks of the previous incumbent? Thus, Ullger had to agree that an external expert would be recruited to work alongside him to drive a change of management to help implement the recommendations of the latest HMIC report. Both Ullger and the Governor agreed that implementing such recommendations would be a priority.

Not only that but the Metropolitan Police would be making a return visit to the Rock shortly to continue their investigation into the 9 March fatal collision at sea, which was said to have taken place outside British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, with deaths obviously included.

And it was made pellucidly clear that the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Gibraltar Police Authority would be working closely with him "to ensure the Royal Gibraltar Police achieves the highest standards and delivers the Annual Policing Plan in a timely and efficient manner."

Clearly, the writing is on the wall at New Mole House. It is now up to the interim Commissioner to prove everyone wrong and show that he deserves an accolade when April 2022 comes round.

13-07-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR