Devon and Cornwall Police signs twinning agreement with Royal Gibraltar Police

DEVON & Cornwall Police is branching out into international policing by signing a new twinning agreement with colleagues from the Royal Gibraltar Police.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell visited the overseas territory this week to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Royal Gibraltar Police Commissioner Richard Ullger and His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst.

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

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

The Royal Gibraltar Police is the oldest Commonwealth police force outside the United Kingdom, having been formed in 1830.

There are currently 248 police officers in the force, supported by a small number of police personnel who are employed directly by the Government of Gibraltar.

Acting Chief Constable Jim Collwell said: “It is a pleasure to be here in Gibraltar to join forces with the Royal Gibraltar Police.

“As a larger force, the agreement will focus primarily on us supporting our colleagues in the Royal Gibraltar Police who face the challenges of operating in a complex policing environment with significantly lower police resources and no neighbors near the British Overseas Territory to call on for support. .

“Our support will include training, secondments, peer support and pointing to national best practice.

“Crime knows no borders, so building international relationships is important to share information and expertise to keep all our communities and borders safe and secure.”

Royal Gibraltar Police Commissioner Richard Ullger said: “This will be hugely beneficial to the Royal Gibraltar Police as we will be able to tap into a force that is much larger than us and has more experts in domain within a domain. variety of policing fields.

“The agreement will allow us to gain benefits in learning, training and experience, which in turn will help us keep Gibraltar a safe place for everyone who lives and works here.”