RGP twin with Devon and Cornwall Police

The Royal Gibraltar Police and Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP) signed a historic twinning arrangement at the Convent on Tuesday.

Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger and Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell of the DCP signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst, at 11.30am.

The agreement aims to create a supportive relationship between the two forces, who will share expertise, experience and provide each other with training opportunities such as secondments.

Plans for the MoU began back in 2019 and are supported by both the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

“This will be hugely beneficial to the RGP, as we will be able to reach out to a force which is much larger than us and which has more subject matter experts in a variety of policing fields,” said Richard Ullger, Commissioner of Police.

The agreement, he said, will allow the RGP to reap benefits in learning, training and experience, which in turn will help the force keep Gibraltar a safe place for everyone who lives and works on the Rock.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, also commented and said it is a pleasure to be in Gibraltar to join forces with the Royal Gibraltar Police.

“As a larger force, the agreement will predominantly centre on us supporting our colleagues in the RGP, who face the challenges of operating in a complex policing environment with significantly smaller police resources and no near British Overseas Territory neighbours to call upon for support,” he said.

He stated that that support will include training, secondments, peer to peer support and signposting to national best practice.

Sir Ben said that he was “extremely grateful” to Mr Colwell for agreeing to the twinning agreement and that the support of the Devon and Cornwall Police will be of immense benefit to the Royal Gibraltar Police.