Booze and no mask ends in early morning Main Street arrest

A 30-year old local man was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning on suspicion of drunk and disorderly conduct in the town area.

The man was approached by police officers, who ascertained that he was drunk, and became abusive and was not wearing a face mask despite being in an area where it is compulsory.

He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and taken to New Mole House.

Following the arrest, the Royal Gibraltar Police tweeted: “The requirement to wear face masks in the designated areas is 24 HOURS A DAY, regardless whether or not businesses are open! Tonight an individual was reported, unfortunately their subsequent reaction resulted in their arrest! #SaveLives #wearfacemasks.”

Although the man was arrested for allegedly being drunk and disorderly, the main focus of the 2am tweet was on masks.

That drew flak from some people on social media, who saw the police action as excessive and argued officers should have exercised discretion given that, although the man was not wearing a mask, the incident happened late at night when Main Street was empty.

However, a police spokesman insisted that masks were compulsory on Main Street and that the law made no distinction based on the time of day.

And he stressed too that the man was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, not for failing to wear a mask.