As GPA reports 20% crime detection rate, RGP says charge rate significantly outperforms UK national averages

The Gibraltar Police Authority has reported that the Royal Gibraltar Police detected 20% of recorded crime last year, down 5% from the year before, but the RGP has found these figures significantly outperform UK national averages.

The findings were delivered in the GPA’s annual report which set out that of 3,395 crimes some 686 were detected.

But the RGP has found that these initial figures in the GPA’s annual report represent a "point-in-time" snapshot and the detection rate has since risen.

“As active investigations reach their natural conclusion, these figures evolve,” the RGP said.

“Current data for the 2024/25 period shows that the detection rate for the 3,395 recorded crimes has risen to 24.7%.”

“When applying the same adjustments to historical data, the 2023/24 detection rate stands at 27.4% (from 3,452 crimes).”

“This represents a marginal year-on-year variance of 2.7%.”

For a crime to be recorded as detected sufficient evidence must be available for police to claim that a recordable crime was committed and recorded, a suspect was identified and made aware that they will be recorded as being responsible for committing that crime and the offender was either charged, summonsed, cautioned, warned or received a penalty notice.

The RGP said when measured against UK standards, specifically with the outcome of charge or summons to court “local performance remains exceptionally strong”.

“Despite a slight local reduction, our charge rate continues to significantly outperform UK national averages,” the RGP said.

In the reporting year 2023/24 out of 3,440 total crimes, 794 resulted in a charge or summons to court which was 23% compared to the UK average of 6.8%.

The following year in 2024/25 out of 3,395 total crimes, 691 resulted in a charge or summons to court which was 20.3% compared to the UK average of 7.8%.

The GPA report added that some of the crimes displayed as not detected will still be under investigation at the time of compiling the annual report.

The GPA report detailed the crimes with the highest detection rate of 100% were driving whilst disqualified and non-Gibraltarian found in Gibraltar with three and 22 crimes detected respectively.

The crimes with the lowest detection rate of 0% were cruelty to young persons, tobacco offences and acquisitive cybercrime where 10, two and 144 reports were made.

According to the GPA the RGP’s Crime Recording Standards promote a victim focused approach to crime recording.

“They direct the RGP to ensure that all victim-based crimes are recorded, on the balance of probability, and remain recorded until such time they can be investigated and an outcome assigned,” the GPA report said.

“There is a presumption that the reporting person will be believed, and the crime recorded based on what is disclosed. On occasions, following investigation, it may be determined a reported crime has not been committed.”

“This will be based on evidence obtained. It may be necessary to cancel the crime or reclassify it after careful consideration of appropriate offences.”

The GPA added that the RGP records every crime reported regardless of whether the victim wishes further police action to be taken.

“This has provided a truer picture of crime being committed in Gibraltar and has inevitably raised the crime rate from previous years, having an impact on detections,” the GPA said.

“Some offences will appear in multiple categories, this allows us to give total gures and breakdown the type of offences which the public regularly want to know about.”

“These are aligned to the priorities highlighted as a result of the GPA public survey in tandem with any topical issues which have emerged in any given year.”

The GPA said that good quality statistical data gives them a higher condence when making decisions about priorities for the RGP .

“This ensures that the resources available are allocated to the highest risk areas and that the RGP are aware of the demands which are placed on it,” the GPA said.

The RGP assigns outcomes to crime reports at the point of filing and once the relevant investigation is over.

The outcomes the RGP assigns are in line with UK Forces and there are currently 22 possible investigative outcomes.

Outcomes include evidential difficulties, prosecution prevented due to age or mental health, prosecution time limit has expired, no suspect identified, and the matter dealt with by way of caution.

RGP consider a crime as detected where a person has been charged, reported for process, cautioned, or issued a penalty notice for disorder.

Some 4,033 reports were captured on the RGP crime recording system in 2025/2025 resulting in 3,395 validated crime reports.

The GPA report detailed how in 2024/2025 there were 423 reports of common assault, of which 286 cases had a known suspect but an unwilling victim.

Of the validated crime reports, some 553 had resulted in a charge of summons, 891 had a suspect identified but victim does not support police action, 636 had no suspect identified, and 229 a suspect was not identified and the victim declines or is unable to support further police action.