Police Professional | Devon and Cornwall Police signs twinning agreement with Royal Gibraltar Police

Devon and Cornwall Police signs twinning agreement with Royal Gibraltar Police

Devon and Cornwall Police have signed a twinning agreement with the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP), which will see the two forces share expertise, experience and offer each other training opportunities and secondments.

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

The RGP 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 Colwell said: “As a larger force, the deal will focus mainly on supporting our colleagues in the RGP who face the challenges of operating in a complex policing environment with far more police resources small and with no neighbors near the British overseas territory. to call 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.”

RGP Police Commissioner Richard Ullger said: “This will be hugely beneficial to RGP as we will be able to tap into a force that is much larger than ourselves and has more subject matter experts in a variety of police areas. .

“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.”

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