The Police Complaints Board is investigating serious allegations made against two police officers and circulated widely via email yesterday.

The email, which was sent anonymously and forwarded repeatedly by numerous people, describes in emotive terms how a British couple was arrested in the presence of two young children in their care.

 

The couple claim they were wrongfully arrested by officers using unnecessary force - they were both handcuffed and placed in a van - and that no effort was made to care for the two children in their car.

The Royal Gibraltar Police said the two were arrested for public order offences and strongly rejected any suggestion that the children had not been properly cared for.

Henry Pinna, chairman of the Police Complaints Board, confirmed yesterday that a complaint had been filed about Saturday's incident.

"It will be processed in the normal manner," he said.

Mr Pinna described the email - which was highlighted by GBC during a lunchtime broadcast yesterday - as "very unusual".

"Why they've done that, I don't know," he said.

"But it will have no bearing at all on the actual investigation.

In the email, the anonymous author claims the arrests were unprovoked and came after he was stopped over a traffic matter. He had asked the officers to identify themselves so that he could file a complaint.

Both the couple and the children were said to be distressed and distraught as a result of the incident, which attracted a large crowd of people who heckled officers at the scene.

A police spokesman said the couple, who are UK nationals resident in Spain but working in Gibraltar, were arrested for public order offences. They were bailed without charge to appear at a later date.

Two members of the public, both local males, were also arrested for public order offences and released on bail without charge to appear at a later date.

The RGP spokesman would not be drawn on the detail of the incident, other than to reject claims that the two children had been left unattended.

According to the spokesman, police Commissioner Louis Wink had been present during some of the incident because he happened to pass by while off-duty.

He saw that the officers were faced with a volatile situation and intervened.

The children were cared for at all times, he said, adding that the matter remained under investigation and that further comment was inappropriate.

The RGP added it had seen copies of the email and referred them to the Police Complaints Board.