25/06/2019 - 10:36
While a breakdown in trust between police and the public is by no means uniform across the community. Over a period of time and more recently, certain operational police activity has dominated headlines, like the current RGP illegal fishing enforcement policy in BGTW.
However, the main issue of this report has nothing to do with illegal fishing but how the police have repeatedly attempted, to mislead, ignore, confuse and in this case blatantly cover up their way out of answering repeated questions on an issue or incident that goes back 10 years.
The issue in question was a serious high profile incident of great public interest and political involvement. In fact, the matter concluded a number of months ago when two serving RGP officers were brought before a Spanish Criminal Courtroom to face charges. The case today whether the police like it or not is still of public interest as it was 10 years ago!
Information regarding the conclusion of the case has intentionally been kept under wraps it seems. Not withstanding and repeating the point about public and political interest, especially in an era, where international-cross border police cooperation appears to be dominating ‘operational policing decisions’.
RGP Officers Charged With Theft Related Charges
Panorama can exclusively confirm, that two serving RGP officers last year just before Christmas appeared with three other local men, in front of a Spanish criminal court charged with offences, crimes, where in UK or in local law would be classed as cases of dishonesty.
In fact, the two officers together with the others were charged with offences akin to theft, bordering a more serious charge of burglary. Involving an unlawful entry into a dwelling or private apartment in Spain where an unlawful search of the premises was conducted and a number of items illegally removed.
The outcome of the court proceedings took place before a ‘magistrate or juez del juzgado’.
In her sentencing summing up, the magistrate said that “Primarily the penalty for ‘search’ or ‘break-in’ ranges from six months to two years, and ‘theft’ which depends on the assessment of the theft; but in this case and due to circumstances not linked to the defendants but to the procedure and considering that the case is not of a major complexity, the Judge decided to reduce the penalty to “one and a half months imprisonment” for all the defendants including the two RGP officers, which the judge replaced by a monetary fine, (the latter was a legal translation from the official court document) Read more
25/06/2019 - 10:31
The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia today updated a group of University students from Germany on the political and constitutional development of Gibraltar. Read more
25/06/2019 - 10:28
The Minister with responsibility for the Port, Maritime Affairs and the University, Gilbert Licudi, has announced the establishment of a Maritime Academy in Gibraltar which will be based at the University. As from September 2020, the University of Gibraltar will offer four new undergraduate maritime degrees. Read more
24/06/2019 - 09:43
Blimey, con el sporting ministron de Linares, he thinks que sportsmen from the whole wide world will be coming to Gibraltar to make use of our new equipment, as if the world did not have what we are going to have now. Read more
24/06/2019 - 09:42
Boris Johnson, who is poised to be Britain's next Prime Minister, has long been a fervent supporter of Gibraltar and its people - even in the days when he was Foreign Secretary, he would surge forward in defence of Gibraltar putting aside the diplomatic language that was probably expected of him. Read more
24/06/2019 - 09:39
It’s safe to presume most people are aware that some time in the latter part of the year an election is looming.
The election date is possible safely locked away in the Chief Minister’s impenetrable mind or probably not, he may not even know himself yet, although I doubt that is the case. Read more
24/06/2019 - 09:37
The Chief Minister and the Minister for the Environment met with the GGCA President, the GGCA Britannia reps, and with the directors of Britannia plc to discuss negative comments on cleaning that had been made in the press and social media. Read more
24/06/2019 - 09:35
What is happening in Hong Kong at present is very telling is it not? Ceded to Britain by China in 1842; this once small “strategic” territory was under British rule. Then, after 156 years it reverted to Chinese sovereignty on the first of July 1997. This action taken, I have to add, was not at all popular with its citizens who never wished to be part of Mainland China and tried their best to fight against it. Read more