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CONTENTS 5 Close encounters of the protection kind Commissioner’s 9 McGrail’s 21st century challenge Foreword 13 Cop class of 2019 passing out parade Dear Reader 16 Down and Out in the streets of addiction Welcome to the latest edition of The 20 When “The Police” are Bobby magazine, the official publication real musicians of the . 24 Crime scene – processing In this issue you will once again be emotions able to gain an accurate insight into some of the work that the RGP carries 26 RGP Public Order Training out in its various tasks and key respon- 27 Preparing for Lisbon sibilities, with a good cross section of marathon noteworthy events, activities and items of public interest that readers will find 29 Three new dogs join K9s appealing.

30 News Website: ...... www.police.gi The passing out parade for the 2018 Twitter: ...... @RGPolice intake of new police recruits, the ongoing Facebook: facebook.com/royalgibpolice challenges facing the RGP, and some of Telephone: ...... (350) 20072500 the specialized training carried out by Email: ...... [email protected] officers in this case VIP close protection Police Headquarters, New Mole House, Ian McGrail Central Police Station, Casemates (+350 200 79395) and Public Order are also featured. Also Commissioner of Police an interesting piece on the rehabilitation of two drug addicts, what our more ar- tistically inclined members get up to in their spare time, some Commissioner commendations and a news round-up since our previous edition.

I am also delighted to have an excellent piece by GHA psychologist Dr Gustavo Camino on how uniformed officers deal with their emotions in situations of dis- tress encountered in difficult policing experiences.

Cover Art: PC Anthony Debono, I would like to thank our editorial team, Time Cops: PC James (Jaime) Ignacio riding his bike in mid 1950s through two generations to meet his the sponsors for their kindness and stal- grandson RGP Sergeant Aaron Ignacio in 2019. wart support for the publication, and

Produced and Edited by: also to the collaborators and officers Royal Gibraltar Police who have helped put the magazine to- Editor: RGP Media Officer gether. Design & Printing: Printing Ltd. Advertising: Sound Advertising Warm greetings and best wishes to all April 2019 our readers. Happy reading! Sofi is Gibraltar’s fully licensed digital entertainment service

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For more information, terms and conditions, or to sign up please visit sofi.gi THE BOBBY 5 Close encounters of the police protection kind RGP officers have been undergoing an intensive four week VIP close protection course under the auspices of the UK College of Policing delivered by the Joint Firearms Training Unit (JFTU) – the official training body for British police forces. en RGP and one GDP officer successfully com- Dealing with one hos- Tpleted the training. The role of the highly tile person in a crowd specialized Personal Protection Officer (PPO) – as opposed to conten- a bodyguard in popular language -- is to ensure ding with an antago- the safety at all times of what is termed as ‘the nistic group, fending principal’, who can be a high ranking politician, off friendly attention a state representative or any other person who in a tactful but effec- by virtue of their public office or position are tive manner and pre- deemed by the police to require protection. serving reputation, for instance in the case of RGP Sergeant Mark Diaz who coordinated the female dignitaries, training programme and assessments, explained blocking potential that a major part of the instruction is to equip upskirt photographs, is officers with the ability to tackle seven different also within their safe- hostile scenarios on foot and in vehicles, from guarding remit. knives being pulled in a congested location, to dealing with an ambush, advancing through a For the purposes of crowd, a kidnapping attempt or dealing with a the training course, fensive techniques and other protection proce- firearm attack inside a car. RGP civilian staff volunteered to stand in and dures, they also have to be mindful of managing role play as members of the royal family or heads It also covered the comprehensive reconnais- and mitigating risks to the public as part of their of state to make the scenes more realistic. sance of public areas and buildings ahead of a policing duty. planned visit with the VIP. Sgt Diaz said: “Our responsibility can also involve PPOs are also required to have driving abilities, making quick risk assessments and taking deci- He also wished to dispel common misconcep- be able to select safe routes for the conveyance sions on security arrangements to ensure the tions created by film culture that being a ‘body- of the VIP and as part of reactive tactics, to use safety of the dignitary you are responsible for, guard’ simply involves drawing a pistol, empha- the vehicle as an escape contingency if necessary. taking into consideration their needs and requi- sizing that PPOs have to develop numerous other rements.” JFTU attributes and personal qualities to neutralize a The course was delivered by qualified instructors threat, such as quick thinking, courage, organi- The ‘bodyguard’ has to ensure both the personal from three Welsh police forces – South Wales, sational abilities, problem solving and reactive well-being and expeditious movement of the Gwent, and Dyfed Powys – who form part of the competence. principal while under protection by applying ap- JFTU and conduct this training across the country propriate tactical options to deal with any im- In police jargon the whole range of potential to National Protection Officers Course standards mediate or perceived threat. incidents they are trained to respond to are set by the UK College of Policing. known as ‘dilemmas.’ He added that other than the physical skills, de- Further development training will be provided in house by the RGPs own firearms instructors. The training was conducted in numerous venues and public areas including the Cable Car, Upper Rock, tourist sites, Victoria Stadium, and Convent Place and one of the ‘live’ exercises involved the recent Passing Out Parade of the new intake of police recruits that took place at the Piazza. “We are grateful to all of them for their positive Action scenes of the close support in allowing us to use their space,” said protection training course involving a simulated Sgt Diaz. firearm attack on a vehicle carrying a VIP. We’re not all about the numbers

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“There have been many good moments Lupe Aldorino and some difficult ones too, also very busy periods working under pressure, retires from but I like to think that I have always been there for my colleagues when RGP they have needed me.” “I would also like to thank the commissioner for having me in the upe Aldorino-Bacarisa member of the RGP organisation.” Lcivilian staff at the Roads and Neighbourhood Policing Unit retired at the end of last month after Lupe who has always been involved forty two years of service. with voluntary charity groups is keen Lupe a cheerful and popular member of the hard to retake some of those activities working team, performed secretarial and and also looks forward to spending administrative duties during a long career with the much more time with her family force. and taking care of her elderly mum. “Yes, everything from parking tickets to “I’ve been summonses. And I even helped to distribute the working all my last edition of The Bobby,” she says with a smile. life and sometimes you She is married to former police officer Adrian miss out on things Bacarisa who is also retired. because of work “I’ve had very good times with great work mates. It commitments. Now has been like a second family. They’re a decent what I am most bunch of people who’ve taken good care of me, and looking forward to I’ve been very happy. is having time to enjoy being with my “They are not only work colleagues but also friends family much more.” and we have struck a close relationship over such a long period of time. I will certainly miss them. Raring to GO

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21st century policing on the Rock

By F Oliva

ocial media has radically altered the public RGP responded to the incident in the most pro- our ‘bread and butter’, dealing with drunken Sperception of policing, introducing 24/7 fessional and proportionate manner, arresting behaviour, drugged behaviour, dangerous dri- scrutiny by members of the public and an ele- five people, bringing them to justice and im- ving and the like.” ment of added pressure, RG Police Commissio- pounding a car. Balancing priorities ner Ian McGrail declared during a recent wide “This is what we are here for, to address those ranging interview with The Bobby. Mobile Mr McGrail is acutely aware that the public concerns, but by the same token, we achieved phone footage of February’s dangerous driving wants more visible police officers on the beat our objective. The following day walking down traffic incident at the Petroil station by the Wa- and he subscribes to the expectation, but rec- Main Street, many people who are not necessa- terport roundabout quickly went viral, provo- kons that this has to be balanced with relevant rily on social media, were congratulating our king a public outcry and misplaced criticism of priorities such as the Rock’s aspiration to beco- speedy response and how we had dealt with it,” the police’s handling of a startling episode that me a global financial centre of excellence, he declared. is still under investigation. which requires having robust safeguards in Add to this the extra demands placed on an Mr McGrail said that police had worked around place and effective infrastruc- overstretched organisation which already has the clock producing effective results but critics ture with specialized capability to deal with its work cut out in the current international se- are unfortunately less forthcoming in their the financial crime it will inherently attract. acknowledgement of police successes. curity climate, by many more public events, fes- The Commissioner says that fighting financial tivals and social celebrations that need to be “Each has their own sort of ideologies behind crime which by its very nature happens away policed, and the challenge to manage all the it and we respect that,” from the public view, is not something that complex safekeeping strands and stay ahead of bothers the man in the street by comparison, The Commissioner declared that RGP working the curve in a tightly knit community like Gi- “unless it affects them directly”, yet if the poli- arrangements have been modelled around the braltar, becomes formidable. ce do not do it, “from a strategic perspective busiest times of the week and as was to be ex- you are bringing disrepute on Gibraltar becau- “With the speed of social media anyone in pected, police heat maps show that it is wee- se it is then regarded as a lawless financial Brisbane in Australia would have seen that si- kends -- Friday and Saturday nights, particu- centre.” multaneous to us here, but what is important larly during the summer months -- when police when something like this occurs is how we res- resources are most in demand and there is Mr McGrail explained that the police had evol- pond to it,” said Mr McGrail. more personnel out on those days, lesser on ved to mirror changes in society, while prioriti- The Commissioner believes that people are others. zation of tasks & deployments and specializa- tion had become the order of the day. perfectly entitled to express their views and “Friday nights are renowned to be the most share their disquiet, but points out that the hectic nights for us and that is unfortunately www.pwc.gi Our purpose is to build trust

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Whereas two decades and even ten years ago improvement in communicating to the public Although a firm believer in the “invaluable as- one pool of detectives contained in the Crimi- how the RGP goes about its business in a more set” of the direct interaction with the public nal Investigation Department (CID) did all the detailed way in terms of how resources are that patrolling affords the police officer, somet- detective work, now this had become segmen- committed at any given time. Although the pu- hing which was commonplace when he joined ted into dedicated teams such as the Safeguar- blic are kept fully abreast of incidents that oc- the force in the 1980s and even ten years ago, ding and Public Protection Units that look after cur, be it in the context of a domestic setting, Mr McGrail accepts that this has now become the vulnerable and manage sex offenders, the or a burglary or a traffic accident, “they do not much more difficult and additionally, the High Tech Crime Unit, since practically all cri- know the often meticulous, time consuming, in- system of checks and balances that the RGP is me today has a cyber connotation to it, and the tensive work that goes into resolving any of obliged to comply with, does not allow these Economic Crime Unit that had evolved from that.” to happen so naturally. the Fraud Squad of the 1990s which investiga- This is a ‘predicament’ the Commissioner is ea- tes serious crimes and has subsections tackling ger to convey. “I am aware there have money laundering and terrorism financing ca- ses. “We need to get the right formula of communi- been occasions when cation, promoting how we actually do our busi- “All these investigative specialities that did not officers working under ness on a day to day basis so that people can exist in the past, have come from the original stress in the control room, understand that if they do not see an officer on pool of detectives,” said Mr McGrail. the beat, it is not because the officer is not a very upbeat environment, The Commissioner further emphasizes the cru- there, he may not be visible but he is certainly have told someone calling cial need to strike the right balance of having well occupied with whatever high visibility uniformed officers in the street in about a double parked and having adequate resources in place to do car, or a neighbour playing the vital “unseen police work”, often involving loud music late at night, specialist skills to operate around the web, de- tect pedophiles and financial swindlers. that we haven’t got any resources to send. That is “We need to get the right not what we want. We have formula of promoting how to empathize with the we actually do our caller who has to be made business on a day to day he has been tasked,” he said. to feel that their call is basis so that the public Additionally there are less than infrequent oc- important because from understand that if they do casions when the police also have to deal with their point of view it is, and not see an officer on the rogue callers who seek to divert police atten- that we are going to attend beat it is not because the tion to a given location while a felony is per- petrated somewhere else. The RGP take a se- to them but not necessarily officer is not there, he may rious view of this as it can be deemed an obs- with the urgency that they not be visible but he is truction to the administration of justice, a was- te of valuable police time and an inconvenien- want.” certainly well occupied ce to the public. with whatever he has been “Our officers have routine calls lined up and Intelligence led policing as opposed to the ge- while in the past an officer could for instance, tasked” neral patrol, is spend time talking to a victim of crime, they now have to cut that contact short to move on “I have to ensure that serious sex offenders to another assignment,” he said. do not reoffend, and this cannot be done by a police officer on the beat, nor will the whi- Mr McGrail is also keen to ensure that whene- te collar fraudster be caught by a police offi- ver phone calls that do not meet the standard cer on the beat, nor the pedophile will be emergency or urgency thresholds are received, caught by a police officer on the beat,” he said. the correct style of communication with the public and the customer focus is well ingrai- However he fully understands the public reas- ned in the police dispatcher’s mind, so that the surance that is gained from the high visibility right message is conveyed to the caller -- even presence of uniformed police officers walking when resources are stretched and the RGP may up and down the street. another approach which will be attending to several serious incidents at “This is of great importance to the public and I increasingly influence deployments going for- that time. recognize that; achieving this balance is a ward, to make a better and more focused use “There are times when officers working under huge challenge,” he admits. of resources. This will help identify and target stress in the control room, a very upbeat envi- Communicating with the public particular locations of concern, whether it is in ronment, have told someone calling in about a Mr McGrail concedes that without giving away a housing estate or in an area at night where double parked car, or a neighbour playing loud operational intricacies, there is still scope for there is anti-social behaviour. 12 THE BOBBY

music late at night, that we haven’t got any re- luable time for them to deal with more pres- scenario, its use as a drug smuggling point sources to send. That is not what we want. We sing matters that are required by the public.” would also be impacted upon. But, drug smug- have to empathize with the caller who has to glers will find innovative ways to deliver on Police will continue to attend if an incident es- be made to feel that their call is important be- demand, so a harder border does not necessa- calates, if cars are extensively damaged, there cause from their point of view it is, and that we rily mean an end to illicit activity. They would are injuries or blockage of roads. are going to attend to them but not necessarily merely switch to innovative forms of conceal- with the urgency that they want. ” In respect of the maximiza- ment in the body, in vehicles, to circumvent any tion of existing resources, stricter border controls that may arise out of Mr McGrail said that as part Brexit.” of the business case accep- Mr McGrail has also highlighted the need to ted by the Gibraltar Go- enhance border and customs measures to vernment, in the Custody identify money laundering activities from one Suite where detainees are jurisdiction to another, given La Linea’s proxi- processed and kept in mity, “a hive for organised criminality as we cells, it has been a police have seen in recent times.” sergeant who has histori- cally managed the faci- He said: “It is clear that Brexit will bring unfo- lity. This has been a legal reseen and unwelcome challenges to law and

Policing Unite requirement but the post order agencies as stated recently by the UKs demonstration of assistant will no lon- top police officer, Commis- ger be carried out by a sioner Cressida Dick. The existing legal instru- sworn police officer who will thus be relea- ment to extradite criminals from one country Mr McGrail ar- sed to frontline duties, and the position will be to another such as the European Arrest Wa- gues that these situations can potentially dent filled by a detention officer. rrant mechanism will have to change, and the public confidence in the organisation and they sharing of intelligence and data will have to have to seek that person’s understanding, and The switch is part of a drive for civilianization be reviewed as we will no longer be able to offer as much reassurance as possible that it is of posts that do not require a police officer, a form part of European intelligence sharing not that the police do not want to attend, but move that will be complemented shortly with networks. that it will possibly take slightly longer to at- a fresh recruitment campaign to boost esta- tend to a call. blishment numbers in accordance with the “But as far as counter terrorism goes, I hope mandate agreed with the Gibraltar Govern- the cooperation will continue despite these The RGP also want to ment. hiccups along the way. National security comes under the remit of the Governor and it is our Mr McGrail said the extra human resources will encourage other forms of intention to enhance our connections with UK level out a lot of the pressures and resultant counter terrorism colleagues, and also reach interaction with the public stresses that the workforce is feeling right now, out to the hinterland and improve communica- such as online and should lead to a better service delivery tions with our counterparts there. Gibraltar’s and a happier workplace. This increase in the communications, via email new terrorism laws will be aligned to UK and establishment is being planned over a three provide more powers to Law Enforcement or social media, even year period. Agencies to act in all matters related to terro- online reporting of crimes rism.” n which seems a logical step Police cross­border for the digital age. cooperation post Although Mr McGrail considers himself “an old Brexit school policeman”, who values face to face contact, he concedes that this is the way for- border is by its very nature a deterrent to ward because today in the context of the extra Acriminal activity, but the movement of demands on police time, the purely human in- money from criminal proceeds is something we teraction is not always possible. have to be wary of, RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail has said. Bumper to bumper Speaking to The Bobby, Mr McGrail expressed The Commissioner also advanced a policy deci- hope that from a law enforcement perspective, sion in respect of minor traffic accidents and Brexit will not impinge too much on the effec- bumper to bumper scratching of cars, traditio- tiveness of existing and future cross-border nally attended to by police officers which will police cooperation, and if it does that the im- now be left entirely to the insurance industry pact is minimized by providing a sound frame- with which they have engaged in this regard. work that will continue to facilitate this coo- “Police officers will not necessarily get invol- peration. ved anymore and in that way it will release va- The Commissioner declared: “If the border har- dens as would be the case in a no deal Brexit THE BOBBY 13

It was also emotional as members of the pu- blic broke into spontaneous applause as the officers exited the square at the conclusion of the event. In his speech Mr McGrail said that police offi- cers in Gibraltar have become “a sort of Gene- ral Practitioner,” and besides a natural role as law enforcer, may be called upon to perform as Cop Class of 2019 Passing Out Parade a first-aider, social worker, counsellor, negotia- tor and many other roles. He said the RGP was one of the most rooted More Bobbies ‘on institutions in the community and arguably one of the most challenging professions going round. the beat’ to keep Mr McGrail said: “Becoming a police officer is a significant commitment to help keep Gibraltar safe for all of those who live here and visitors Gibraltar safe By F Oliva alike. It is a challenging but rewarding role. Though the jurisdiction continues to be a safe cloudless March sky witnessed the enthu- And, like previous generations of coppers who one, the criminal landscape is changing with Asiasm and marching efficiency of the se- preceded them in the fulfilment of honourable significant and complex threats becoming venteen new officers who proudly took to the duty, the new intake – 14 RGP, 3 GDP – now more apparent – and we are certainly well ex- streets of Gibraltar to complete the traditional stand ready to renew the RGPs untiring and posed to all of these threats, and I mean the policing rite of passage in the Piazza, right in deeply ingrained pledge to uphold law & order type of serious crimes any major city suffers the heart of the Rock’s civic quarter. and keep the community safe from all forms of from. Flanked on one side by the magnificent Parlia- crime. ment building – the seat of local democracy – For the first time ever, the passing out parade “We will strive to be more and on the other, by the historic Town Hall, the was streamed live over Facebook, to reinforce receptive to constructive new intake received the warmest acknowled- what Mr McGrail calls “the link with the public”. gement from RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail criticism; whether it comes for having attained “a milestone in their career.” In his address the commissioner told the new from inside or outside the officers to be versatile, “like a Swiss Army kni- The crisp winter evening did not dissuade a fe,” and prepared to serve the community “in all organisation – with the key good gathering of members of the public who kinds of emergencies.” joined senior officers, dignitaries and the rela- word here being tives of the newly qualified recruits who, ha- The disciplined and well executed drill from ‘constructive’.” ving successfully accomplished four months of the rookie detachment to the accompanying arduous physical and tactical training, took music provided by the Royal Gibraltar Regi- “At the heart of policing, though, is our link centre stage in the square to receive their ea- ment marching band, provided a commendable with the people and we are fortunate that we gerly awaited certificates of achievement from ceremonial spectacle, a fitting and well recei- enjoy the support of the vast majority of peo- the chairman of the Gibraltar Police Authority ved finale to the induction period that heralds ple across Gibraltar. Notwithstanding this, the Joey Britto. a demanding albeit exciting chapter in their peoples’ support cannot be taken for granted. occupation as uniformed police on We are here to serve them over and above the beat. 14 THE BOBBY

“You will not always be appreciated to the de- Timmins, Richard Cunningham, Jordan Recagno gree you think appropriate, you will not always and Allan Bartram. n

be respected like you deserve. You will be requi- red to work when you’re exhausted. You will not always get the assignment or promotion when you want it. You’ll be asked to do things that are unpleasant. You’ll be forced to make hard choices. You’ll be expected to do the right thing when it’s difficult. You’ll see things that others never Costa highlights want to see. You’ll experience things that will terrorist threat break your heart. In all of this you’ll always be expected to be a better person, to keep during passing out your head up and continuously push forward and stay on course. parade “I am delighted that you, such a group of talented individuals, have chosen to Minister for Justice spoke out join us to help to deliver a safer Gi- against the horror of “the barbaric terrorist braltar. I want to end by thanking atrocities committed in European countries” , the training staff for the great job they during last month’s police passing out parade have done in inducting the student offi- at the Piazza. cers and ensuring they meet the grade to Mr Costa said that the new RGP and GDP offi- start the operational journey as probatio- cers would now form an integral part of the ners. Welcome to the family. Well done.” criminal justice system in Gibraltar as mem- Training bers of organisations committed to fighting crime and keeping Gibraltar safe from any The recruits have been trained by the ex- threats – including terrorism. cellent RGP Training Staff to meet Police National Occupational Standards, the ben- “Gibraltar is not immune to this worldwide chmark of professional policing in UK. They scourge and Government supports you, by lis- are now ready to exercise wide powers and tening to your advice and by providing inves- discharge duties such as gathering and sub- tment for protective measures in equipment mitting evidence, conducting criminal inves- and training,” he told the new intake in the tigations, stopping and searching individuals, presence of their superiors. conducting interviews of witnesses, victims The Minister further expressed the Govern- and suspects and policing public disorder. ment’s full commitment to support the police and provide the necessary legislative and ma- terial backing in the fight against crime.

During his speech at the event, Mr Costa high- lighted “the deep sense of responsibility, duty and honour” felt by police officers and urged them to uphold the law and act fairly in the pursuit of justice. anything and building public confidence in the Although officers have been issued with their The Minister also noted that during their trai- RGP is something all officers should be commit- warrant cards and will be deployed operationally, ning period, the police recruits had been in- ted to doing. professional development will continue as they will continue to receive instruction in different volved in assisting an operational deployment “Anything designed to undermine or prevent skills and topics. The RGP instructors are Inspec- that led to the coastal search and recovery of this public confidence from growing has no pla- tor John Louis Olivera, Police Sergeant Scott Stra- almost three tons of cannabis resin with a ce in our organisation and we should strive to chan and Police Sharon Berini. street value of £14m. placate any adversity with positive action. Presentation “Government is extremely grateful for the “Too often, especially lately, some in our society work that the Royal Gibraltar Police and the are openly vocal about their criticisms of the Po- Course certificates were presented to the 17 re- carry out, day in and lice. Often judgment is passed on officers before cruits while three individual awards were also day out, to protect our community and to keep facts are known and without considerations for made. These went to GDP PC Caruana as the Best us safe,” he declared. the difficulties and complexities of what we are All Round Recruit, PC Arnold as Best Academic The Minister said the first and only loyalty of asked to do. Recruit and to PC Guarnieri the Momy Levy award to the Most Improved Fitness. The rest of the in- police officers is “to the persons we serve.” “I look at you as new entrants of the RGP and take is as follows: GDP Wesley Warwick, Jay Ma- Mr Costa concluded his intervention stating say… rin; RGP Casey Azopardi-Francis, Darren Gonzalez, that everyone in the community was immen- Your reputation is just what people think of you. Matthew Hayward, Nigel Kells, Tanya Reddy, Nata- sely proud of them and wishing them all the Your character is who you really are so protect it lie Atkinson, Matthew Myhill, Robert Perry, Kris accomplishments for the future. at all costs by doing the right thing. 15 16 THE BOBBY Ralph and James Down and Out in the Streets of Addiction

By F Oliva, RGP Press Officer

Ralph“I was a criminal, a junkie, a thief, a bad put that period of his life behind him, he has Ralph emphasizes the point that pushing person and a loser,” reformed Gibraltarian become a proficient sportsman and ultrama- away addicts and seeing them merely as a drug addict Ralph, now in his 50s told a rathon runner – he has no less than thirteen scourge of society is not the answer. “I would group of new RGP recruits during a training marathons and half marathons under his belt still be an addict had I not found people session at New Mole House. -- and an adviser for Hospitals and Institution, along the way willing to help me and that is a branch of NA and AA (Narcotics/Alcoholics the message I am passing down to you.” The informal gathering provided novice offi- Anonymous), an international NGO that sup- s a youngster, Ralph saw himself like an cers with valuable background knowledge of ports recovering drug addicts and alcoholics Aoutcast of society and for much of his later the narcotics underworld and an acute insight through charity based initiatives. life accepted that he stood apart from the rest, into some aspects of the often complex “I see what I have been through as an expe- floundering in his own inner realm of personal psychological forces at play inside a drug ad- rience and an asset that needs to be shared anxieties and self-doubt. dict’s mind. with others, to provide help to those who Ralph, whose real name has been withheld to have fallen prey of drug addiction. All addicts “Drugs gave me everything preserve his identity, has managed to turn his need guidance in the right direction to positi- I wanted, but that was only life around after numerous failed rehabilita- vely ‘reconnect’ with society and a hand to get tion attempts and inevitable relapses into the back on their feet. There is no magic formula an external appearance; “recurring nightmare of drugs,” with a great – it is impossible to do it alone,” he says. inside of me I was full of deal of effort and perseverance. Today having fear, guilt and shame. I was a shy person, withdrawn, I had been abused by a neighbour and all of this had amounted to serious defects of character.”

Ralph’s problems were compounded by his fa- mily upbringing, a unit which he candidly des- cribes as “dysfunctional,” although he is quick to point out that not all addicts come from this type of milieu, fraught with tension and strug- gling under the burden of an alcoholic father. At school too, he felt out of place, not excelling at sport and envying the kids who were good at football. “I fitted in better with the gangs of kids who were just thieving around, and running away to THE BOBBY 17

the ‘jungle’. With them I felt comfortable, ac- UK -- luckily though, I have never been to pri- “I just wanted to break the daily cycle, that first cepted as part of a group.” son.” waking thought centred around drugs doing whatever it took, ‘beg, borrow, or steal’ if neces- Ralph was 15 when he started to break into Ralph was a committed addict wherever he sary to do it,” he said. buildings and commit burglaries and thefts, went, scoring drugs in UK, in Gibraltar, and he unsolved emotional traumas and anger mana- recalls “in the Junquillo in La Linea where I His sons had never spoken to him in the past gement problems further complicating his dif- would buy heroin.” but now he prides himself in having a great re- ficult teenage years. lationship with them and with his ex-wife. The “Drugs had become essential to remove all my person he once disliked whose life centred on He admits that when he first started to use insecurities; first it gave me the confidence to the consumption of drugs not even to get high, drugs, valium his narcotic of choice, made him go to school, but then it became something I because they ceased having that effect, but feel good and helped him dispel inbuilt fears needed to do to eat, to sleep, to confront life it- “just to be normal,” has now become one who and low self-esteem. self.” leads an honest and decent life. “It gave me the Dutch courage I so badly nee- There were many occasions when he tried to ded to be able to socialize with others. I grew wean himself off opiates by using methadone, “It was like learning how to my hair long and then started to smoke joints, which would only have a short term effect, and listening to rock music and seeing myself as a he would come off that only to return to using walk again, step by step. It rebel.” heroin, cocaine and morphine. was tough but my life He recalls that his favourite pastime was to Having been hooked on drugs since an early started to change. Now I drive up the Rock with his friends to smoke age he would try to convince himself to stop, love the person I have joints, but that he was not a big drinker at this find a thousand different excuses to turn his point. life around at some unspecified point in the fu- become, with the people ture setting himself targets – when his daugh- “I just wanted to do drugs all the time, for the around me and with myself, ter was born, or when he got a new job, to do rest of my life.” so. having shed all the He was barely 16 when his family had had resentments of the past.” Tomorrow would always be the last time, ho- enough and packed him off to UK in the belief wever the fear of giving up substances he had that pulling him away from his friends, whom relied on to cope with the simplest day to day Ralph adds that, drug addiction is a disease they saw as responsible for Ralph’s misconduct things, always prevailed and any sincere desire that is difficult to understand and that alt- plus a change of scenery would straighten him would fall by the wayside. hough statistics as to the success of rehabilita- out. tion therapies are not very heart-warming, the “I simply could not function without drugs and “Of course,” he says, “my friends were not to key to recovery remains in society as a whole alcohol and was actually terrified by the blame, and it was all down to me. It was I who deepening its knowledge and understanding of thought of ever stopping because I had been was messing up.” this malaise. doing it all my life.” In UK he started drinking heavily and mixing “The opposite of addiction in this sense is con- It was only when he realized that he was “dead alcohol with mind altering substances, a dan- nection, shunning addicts will not solve the in the soul, emotionally extinct,” and could no gerous combination that would have far re- problem. Social rejection achieves nothing, we longer look himself in the mirror that he resol- aching effects on his health. must pursue the opposite. The best way to deal ved to escape “the recurring nightmare” he was with addiction is by connecting and reconnec- trapped in. ting addicts meaningfully and productively “I was suffering from an with society.” obsessive-compulsive disorder, and now I can see that quite clearly, though at the time I was not aware that I was ill. I would pick up a first drink and carry on and on. I was unable to stop.”

The net result of his heavy drinking and drug consumption was a string of failed relations- hips, being unable to hold on to jobs and not finding any kind of stability in his life. “I have four kids with three different women, have toured a good number of detention cen- tres, psychiatric hospitals and rehab units in

Andrew Brookes/Getty Images/Cultura RF n 18 THE BOBBY

JamesJames has led a similar life to Ralph. Now 50 that was squeezing the very life out of and clean for the past 12 years, he is still him, life which no longer seemed to haunted by memories of waking up in the have any purpose. middle of the night as a child, to the sound of Paradoxically it was that bleak realiza- his alcoholic father beating up his mother. He tion that marked a turning point in his also recalls having difficulties in school and life, a sense of devastation that impe- was picked on and bullied by other children. lled him to take the necessary steps to “I saw myself as different to others, and had go into rehabilitation the feeling that I did not fit into society,” he James acknowledges that if he is here says. today, alive and with a new purpose to Drugs led him to experience what he descri- his life, it is thanks to the RGP and the bes as “a spiritual death”, hitting rock bottom, help he received from individual of- losing his family and ending up in prison. ficers some of whom became close friends. While understanding the saying “once a drug addict, always an addict”, both he and Ralph “Today I go riding a bicycle believe that change is possible, and that the with them and I am involved past can be left behind. in several sports other than cycling, such as swimming and Sport, the friendship, assistance and good ad- running which are my favourite.” vice offered to him by people, including the police officers he encountered during his time as a drug offender, afforded him a lifeline “Life makes sense to that he finally managed to grasp. me now, I have my “I was finished, that’s how I saw myself. My family, my wife and life had been destroyed by drugs, I had lost children and they know my family, and I felt that I had lost everything. I was directionless, just wanting a big hole to that I am there for open up and swallow me.” them. Being drug free His message to the RGP recruits when they has changed my life have to deal with drug addicts in the custody having fun, partying and taking drugs. It was suite is “don’t just arrest and forget about around, making a full enjoyable, because otherwise I would not have them, give them advice and help to go into done it.” recovery possible.” rehabilitation”. is formal education was poor having quit Police arrested him on a boat with 252 kilos of His message to the police recruits was that Hschool at the age of 10 and starting to cannabis and he went down in court for almost they should always bear in mind that behind work on fishing trawlers when he was 17. He six years imprisonment. This did not deter him, an addict, deep inside there is always a human then left Gibraltar to join the Spanish Legion, and when he was released continued his traf- being, a person, and they should always offer and subsequently started to get involved with ficking activities and drug addiction. He ack- advice and support so they can go into rehabi- illegal drugs. nowledges that his criminal conduct, constant litation. stealing etc, was causing harm to other people “It did the trick because the drugs removed me he came into contact with. Beyond that he believes that a police response from the world in which I felt trapped and to an addict should be proportional to that from the suffering I was feeling. I was drinking James married shortly afterwards and had his person’s conduct, and if they become violent and smoking joints and I quite liked it.” first child but admits he was not a proper fat- they have to be restrained adding that when her to his children and when his wife walked In the 1990s at the height of the notorious sober, addicts are “nice people.” out with the kids, he was overwhelmed with fast launch era in Gibraltar, he became a tobac- guilt, also with feelings that his life was empty “Enforce the law in the custody suite but show co smuggler and later a drug trafficker, exten- n and not worth living. compassion and kindness,” he adds. ding his drug taking to amphetamines, cocaine

and pills. “I felt dead inside; it’s the James made a great deal of money and the more money he had, the more he spent to feed worst sort of death, a his drug habit which grew stronger and stron- spiritual death because you

ger to the detriment of everything else. He was are still alive but your spirit seriously injured in a fight but the drugs allo- Thanks to DRUGS FREE KIDS Canada.Org for wed him to push all his problems underneath collapses. There is just pain their kind permission to use these images the surface. and nothing else”. “With drugs I forgot about my injuries and the distress it had caused me, about my father and Having reached the end of the tether, he was about my mother, and all I was interested was drifting along a futile drug fuelled existence “There is a limit to what you can learn only He said: “Gibraltar is a melting pot, on the one from pictures, and text and image tends to hand it is fiercely British, but it also has a Spa- work very well together to provide a greater nish influence that some may not want to ack- insight.” nowledge. As an outsider, it is often easier to In his previous Gibraltar related work, Luke dis- see where it is that the cultures merge. Gibral- cerned various social elements and other la- tar has certain similarities with mainland En- yers of the complex cultural strands that go gland but has its own unique culture, in the into the formation of identity, a theme that he same way as Wales, Scotland or Northern Ire- wanted to examine in greater detail. land have theirs, and my aim is to get this “I wanted to delve deeper into the Rock’s uni- across.” queness, showing sides that often go unnoti- “Gibraltar has a long and complicated history The RGP is an open and transparent organi- ced by investigating its culture and lands- and it is hard for outsiders to get their head sation always keen to assist young students capes both physical and human.” round that. I am still wrestling with it, and it is and researchers in their work and was plea- One of the main aims of his new endeavour is always throwing up surprises,” he admits. sed to host professional photographer Luke to dispel popular assumptions about Gibraltar Archer’s one day visit to New Mole House Londoner as simply ‘Brits abroad’ displayed in mains- Living in he is acutely aware of the police station as part of his extended photo- tream UK television programmes. graphy project about Gibraltar. Luke has pressures faced by police forces in the capital “I wanted to illustrate what life looks like here. been able to see from close quarters, the and how often a surge in crime has been lin- basics of RGPs day to day policing, road pa- Relatively little is known about the territory ked to insufficient numbers of police on the trols, the Marine Section, frontier traffic back home. I wanted to expand people’s un- ground. Luke has been able to form a view arrangements and the custody suite. The derstanding about what it means to be Gi- about some of the policing challenges Gibral- Bobby took advantage of Luke’s stopover to braltarian, give greater depth to what is some- tar faces and the differences to the situation interview him about his work and what he times a one dimensional portrayal by the UK back home. wanted to reflect with it. press,” he declared. “As an outsider, the RGP seems very unique, Luke has visited the Spanish hinterland on se- although Gibraltar is very small in size it ap- veral occasions over the years and since he pears the police force has to handle a wide va- ‘Shooting film, not also has family links on the Rock, he thought it riety of situations that other police forces would be a good idea to spend some time fin- simply wouldn't encounter. I'm no expert but I bullets’ – Rock ding stimulating pictorial content for his pro- can't imagine many forces in the world have ject. He has always been interested in Gibraltar an international land and sea border on top of policing through as a location for photography. all the regular domestic duties. From what I’ve “With Brexit looming it seems people are more seen, police numbers are also more proportio- the lens of a receptive to stories about locations that are nate to the population in Gibraltar. going to be impacted such as Gibraltar,” he “Coming from London and visiting Gibraltar it Londoner said. is nice to see a full police presence out and But he reckons this could be a catch-22 situa- about, I guess it acts as a good deterrent. In London-based photographer Luke Archer spent tion in that people in Britain will latch onto London you are less likely to see the police on some time with the Royal Gibraltar Police last the obvious flag waving Britishness, for exam- the street more likely to hear the sirens of po- year, to gain a first-hand impression of a mo- ple what happens on National Day. lice zooming to respond so I guess policing is dern . “These things have to be there but only as one more reactive.” Now he is back again on the Rock after having chapter of a bigger narrative. I want to tell the He reckons that Gibraltar is a safe place despi- completed an MA in Photography at the Arts wider story, and be able to explore the diffe- te its high density population which is often University, Bournemouth, as part of an exten- rence between reality and perception.” associated to a higher incidence of crime. ded project that seeks to delve into the ‘real’ One of the things that has struck him most has “It is atypical in this too because in other pla- Gibraltar, one far removed from the tourist bro- been the religious diversity he has found in Gi- ces people living on top of each other, does chures or cringeworthy clichés about the Rock braltar, where various faiths co-exist in a confi- not work out so well in this context.” that are so prevalent in the UK tabloid press. ned space. Luke was a guest of the RGP earlier this month “I’ve seen different religions co-existing side Kodak fan capturing the dynamism, action and verve of a by side, very close to each other. This is unu- Luke has been using film for about nine years cross section of day to day policing activities. sual. In other places this does not work out and but there has been a huge resurgence in its He focused on various practical elements such I was keen to show it.” use in more recent times, similar to the vinyl as road patrols, the marine section, the frontier Luke believes that “with the world shifting to revival, where people who have grown up in a traffic arrangements, and also moved off in ot- the right,” Gibraltar’s diversity and diversity ge- digital world are rediscovering analogue te- her directions to incorporate the construction nerally is “something that ought to be celebra- chnology. industry featuring some GJBS buildings, the mi- ted.” “I'm pretty loyal to Kodak as my grandad wor- litary and the Port Authority. “Being British is not about red telephone ked for them all his life! Knowing this, people His current assignment seeks to take his MA booths and fish and chips. It is the acceptance often buy me things related to film photo- much further, to broaden its scope and alt- of others, and that chimes with my experien- graphy and one was a patch that says ' Shoot hough mainly pictorial will also include lines ce of what it is to be British.” Film Not Bullets - To Capture and Preserve' - of text. As Luke’s project develops, his aim is to “dig you can tell it’s from America as thankfully ac- deeper” meet more people, and continue to cess to firearms is pretty limited in the UK.” n learn what it means to be Gibraltarian. 20 THE BOBBY David Parody

oyal Gibraltar Police officers have Rnormal lives outside of their day to day responsibilities. Many of them en- gage in a plethora of artistic activities, hobbies, pastimes and relaxing diver- sions to disconnect from the stresses associated to a high pressure occupa- tion like modern policing in a small, tightly knit community like Gibraltar. In successive editions The Bobby will be speaking to the policemen who combi- ne their day job with interesting para- llel pursuits, in this case related to mu- sic and performing, having achieved notable proficiency as instrumentalists, live performers and recording artists. In the current issue, The Bobby will be featuring guitarist Aaron Ignacio and Bandmaster Craig Philbin. THE BOBBY 21

the world and let everything go. Music is a PS Ignacio Rock good way of dealing with it. When I come off the stage I am in a very serene mood.” ‘n’ Roll Star He started listening to grunge music growing up, Nirvana and Pearl Jam were huge at the Aaron Ignacio has been playing the guitar sin- time but he soon widened his scope to incor- ce he was 12. A sergeant in the Roads and porate all genres, from Clapton to Metallica Neighbourhood Policing Unit, when he takes and Bruno Mars to John Mayer and anything in off his uniform, the chances are that he will be between. heading for the rehearsal room for band prac- tice. Since 2016 he has been carrying out gui- At present he is a weekend musician, a part- tar duties for Jetstream, which recently suppor- time performer, immersed in “an expensive ted 90s band Toploader at a well-publicized hobby”, although this does not tell the whole and attended gig in London that was featured story. on BBC Radio London. “My work commitments have always determi- “I was anxious as a kid and picking up a gui- ned when it is that I can play with Jetstream tar and playing was very relaxing, it made either locally or abroad. Usually it would be Doing things with the family and music, with his wife everything else disappear,” he says. weekends that I can take a flight to London if when they won Indio Rock Festival in Malaga 2018 need be on a Saturday to perform, and return Now 38, Aaron formed many bands as a musi- to the Rock on the Sunday as with the Toploa- cally active teenager during his time in school, der gig.” later teaming up with the Fernandez brothers, one of them, Albert, a policeman as well, also Aaron has to juggle his multiple commitments, featured in this series, to create Underhill, an as a responsible parent and husband, a serving outfit with strong punk influences of the Green police officer and a musician. And although it is Day and Blink 182 variety. He also formed part his ambition to attain full time involvement, he of other bands that have played regularly in recognizes how hard it would be to make it in Gibraltar, appearing in the Gibraltar Music Fes- the music industry, which often feels like “a bit tival, and making incursions further afield in of a lottery” and harbours no unrealistic expec- Spain, with the likes of Metro Motel and Karma tations of this materializing. 13. “I balance my different facets to accommoda- Where did it all start for him? te everything as best as possible. I would not just get up and leave on the back of an off “When I first saw Slash in full swing in a Guns chance. The music business is very competiti- and Roses video at a very young age I knew at ve and it would have to be something pretty once that I wanted to be a guitarist like him.” massive to take that step. Although it would Aaron is a self-taught, eclectic and intuitive be my dream come true to just tour and live musician, whose energetic on stage persona off music, I am a very level headed individual contrasts with his soft-spoken, good natured and understand this would not be the ideal disposition. His range of styles is diverse and scenario for my work and family life”. he can move comfortably through rock ‘n’ roll Aaron also has links with highly rated Spanish genres from pop to grunge and melodic rock to indie band Izal, just one of his many good con- punk. tacts in the Spanish music industry from his “I am not a technical guitarist, I play with feel Karma 13 days, which he hopes to explore to and mostly by ear. This is how I learned the further his band’s prospects. Gibraltar International Song Festival guitar, listening to the radio and trying to Winners 2017 with song Starlight. play along. No You Tube back then” His house is an extended music studio with numerous guitars and other instruments scat- tered around. Now his children are also follo- wing in dad’s footsteps. Aaron is quite candid in terms of what music does for him, how he needs the enjoyment, the rewarding creative and therapeutic benefits that derive from it. When he takes to the stage it affords him a complete detachment from the outside world. “I give it my all during a live show. When I play the guitar I can disconnect from all the stresses in my line of work, I can step out of 22 THE BOBBY

In the Gibraltar International Jazz Festival with Jools Holland

In 2006 the band backed popular Irish boy McGrail who retired from service on PS Craig Philbin, band Westlife during a Philip Schofield Chris- the Regiment’s last day of public duties at the tmas TV show seen by nine million viewers. Fo- palace. a musical journey llowing the disbandment of the In 2013 Craig retired from the Army and joined band, he was appointed as the Bandmaster of the RGP. During the time of his training school RGP Sergeant Craig Philbin is a consummate the , where he served Craig was also heavily involved in the organi- and veteran musician and bandmaster who ori- for two years before being posted to Chatham sation of the 3rd Annual Gibraltar International ginally hails from Manchester. He has toured in Kent to take up the appointment as the Jazz festival whose star performer was Jools around the world and among his artistic high- Bandmaster of the Corps of . lights, performed on stage with the great Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Holland and as a guest soloist with the Royal During his time with the Engineers, Craig beca- featuring guest artist Melanie C of Spice Girls Philharmonic Orchestra for the Queen in 2005 me good friends with Jools Holland who owns fame. Craig was invited to join the band as a at a concert commemorating the 60th anniver- a castle not far from the barracks where the guest soloist during the concert which for him sary of the end of World War II. Big band music, Engineers band are based. Craig performed was the best possible way to cap his 26-year Jazz and military tunes are the coordinates of with Jools on a number of occasions as both military music career. are keen boogie-woogie piano enthusiasts and his thrilling artistic journey. When asked about his current artistic ventures still keep in regular touch. Craig began his musical career at a very early Craig said: “I still really enjoy music and practi- age playing the trombone at the age of 5, Craig was very fortunate to be posted back to ce every day. I’m working with a new 5 piece trumpet at the age of 6 and piano at the age of Gibraltar in 2011 to take up his old post with rock band at the moment and should be out in 10. He joined the Army at 16 enlisting as a mu- the RGR Band and Corps of Drums and subse- public performing gigs with them by the sum- sician in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and in quently formed the band The Soulmates a 12- mer time. I can read music, play by ear and im- 2005 graduated as a Bandmaster with a Ba- piece soul band complete with an awesome provise which means I’m pretty versatile when chelor of Music with Honours degree from the horn section featuring fellow police officers it comes to performing as a guest with other Headquarters of Army Music in Kneller the Riley brothers, on saxophone and trumpet. bands as I often like to do. I can mix it with anybody as and when needed. You could say Hall, Twickenham and was appointed to the In 2012 the Royal Gibraltar Regiment was gi- that I am a ‘gun’ for hire,” he added. position with the Royal Lancers Band based at ven the honour of performing public duties at the time in . Buckingham Palace as part of the celebration Craig appears regularly at the Jazz Society’s During this time, he was the Trumpet Major of of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. This saw jazz nights at the Elliott Hotel on Thursday the “Golden Eight” fanfare team whose duties the band perform on several high profile occa- evenings. n included the announcing of HM the Queen at sions led by none other than Drum Major Ian various events in London. He was later presen- ted to her, an experience which he describes as his “proudest moment”. Craig returned regularly to London where fo- llowing his love of Big Band Music, formed the Big Band with the very best jazz musicians in the army and went on to perform with notable stars including, Ruby Turner, Mi- chael Buble and Jools Holland. THE BOBBY 23

DISTRIBUTORS A. SOULIE AUDIBERT 24 THE BOBBY

Guidance to Police Officers routine investigation. Very often, when securing activities that may deliver such mind states. the premises where the crime took place and However, lay people believe that negative establishing an understanding of the incidents, emotions are intrinsically bad, and are Processing they will be exposed to disturbing material. associated to mental disturbance or That sort of material can range from dealing completely unnecessary learning. Scientific with photographic evidence, human remains, psychology suggests that negative emotions emotions to blood and body parts that may be found as are not necessarily a symptom of any illness. result of an incident. It is quite logical to Quite the contrary, they can be the product of deal with the assume that contact with those experiences normal and healthy reactions to difficult would trigger important emotional reactions events. Consequently, an important and to the lay person and maybe not to the practical recommendation to make to those distress of experienced professional. However, and at least exposed to potentially damaging or disturbing from my experience, I believe that no one is events, is that they must accept that feeling Crime Scene free from feeling upset about it. At the same upset or distressed about it, is a completely time, it is quite important to recognise how acceptable state of mind. Having said that, it Investigations normal and necessary it is to “normalise” does not mean that we must also expect that whatever reaction we may have when exposed we will remain distressed for the rest of our to difficult material. lives. Despite that, it is not easy to accept it By Dr G Camino initially, given the very unsettling nature of “I would recommend that distress. When under distress, humans might Dr Gustavo Camino assume that they cannot bear it. If the person is a GHA Clinical professionals accept under distress adopts a more understanding Psychologist, CMHT, distress as part of what and compassionate view about himself/herself, Coaling Island, they should feel it is likely that the distress will be processed Gibraltar better and the intensity of it will gradually Abstract sometimes, rather than decrease. This would in turn permit the person rime scene investigations require a assuming automatically to learn from what happened and ultimately Cprofessional approach that may encompass that damage is done make sense of it. If that is achieved, the psychological elements to it, which may be memory of the events will be adequately able to allow police officers to work safely because the distress they processed and incorporated as part of the when performing their duties. The rationale for feel is a symptom of it. person’s experience. If this is not achieved, there are a number of difficulties that can such an assumption stems from the fact that, There may be indications the exposure to crime scenes could constitute potentially arise, including stress, inability to a source of occupational hazard, not only to of damage only when cope with normal life, and ultimately trauma the police but also to other professionals such distress lasts for many reactions. However, as I said, this is not an as fire fighters, prison officers, health workers obliged pathway and most people end up and incidental witnesses. Crime scenes involve months and the person processing difficult events quite well. a great deal of unpredictability, and may does not let it go.” Summarising it all, I would recommend that contribute to the formation of complex and professionals accept distress as part of what they should feel sometimes, rather than long lasting impressions for those who have to How Normal is to Feel Abnormal deal with them. Those impressions may assuming automatically that damage is done connect with previous experiences, knowledge Regular and routine life experiences bring because the distress they feel is a symptom of and memories that if well managed, could predictability and a sense of control to most it. There may be indications of damage only potentially lead to increase professional skills people. Most of us aspire to have a life, with when distress lasts for many months and the and abilities to manage emotionally intense moderate levels of excitement and rewards so person does not let it go. we can continue indefinitely being motivated situations or contrary to that, contribute to “Educating officers and professionals into and focused in what we ordinarily do. However, emotionally destabilising the officer, and emotional processing and regulation could be and at the same time, life may also bring hinder their normal function in the work place, a helpful way of preventing stress and trauma unexpected experiences and outcomes that or in their private life. The aim of this article is reactions. It is not inevitable to fall into may throw people to extreme levels of to establish and offer some introductory extremes of mental disorders when facing emotionality and leave them on edge and with psychological guidance to police officers and adversity.” professionals alike, who may be exposed to a sense of vulnerability. Without the crime scenes during the course of their appropriate personal resources to recover, the Mental Health and Good Health task of getting back to normal can be professional interventions. As I said in the previous heading, distress in perceived as a huge or even an impossible isolation is not a symptom of mental health Introduction task. One of the things that create the problems. Educating officers and professionals expectation that we will not be able to come Crimes involve complex investigative tasks and into emotional processing and emotion to terms with a difficult experience is the a mindful approach to human nature. Normally, regulation could be a helpful way of overwhelming effect of the emotions that a team of police officers composed of a varied preventing stress and trauma reactions. It is come with it. We are normally knowledgeable degree of seniority and expertise will deal not inevitable to fall into extremes of mental of how positive emotions affect our lifestyle with the ample range of tasks that require a disorders when facing adversity. Health and quality of life, and in fact, we pursue THE BOBBY 25

education is part of the role of mental health reactions are protracted and delayed professionals and we are available to provide responses, resulting from unsuccessful assistance in the matter. If trauma takes place, attempts to make sense of them. It is then it is our role to treat it. However, this possible to prevent trauma by accepting requires allowing the potential sufferer to distress as a normal reaction and having a initially attempt to deal with it by themselves. mindful team of The principle behind such recommendation is colleagues available for the assumption that people are inherently support. n healthy, and consequently, they must learn to cope with threats naturally, before any artificial method is tried. This would positively compare to the recent trend in medicine which avoids the use of antibiotics and only prescribe them when is absolutely necessary. It is not viable to have a clinical psychologist ready for an emergency case, whereas it is much more realistic to let people face their life decisions and experiences so they can develop their own natural mechanisms to defend themselves. This is particularly apparent when we are experiencing a huge growth of demand of mental health services for problems which are, most of the time well managed without professional intervention. “Feeling acutely distressed after been exposed to crime investigation scenes is an absolutely normal and acceptable outcome. However, trauma reactions are protracted and delayed responses, resulting from unsuccessful attempts to make sense of them.”

Conclusions Mental well-being is the hands of every person. People can develop, and learn to know themselves better to achieve mental balance. It is much more efficient and cost effective to look after yourself, than waiting to become mentally ill, and expect someone else to fix you. Life brings adversity and threats to all of us. We have a natural ability to cope with it. It is called, resilience. Police officers are human beings who have feelings and care for others. However, they have to look after themselves first, if they are going to face adversity in their work environment. Feeling acutely distressed after having been exposed to crime investigation scenes is an absolutely normal and acceptable outcome. However, trauma 26 THE BOBBY

RGP public order training at Buffadero

GP officers carry out basic public order trai- of missiles toward them and with the squad Rning once every six months at the Buffa- moving at a fast pace towards a building. dero Training Centre on a whole range of In hostile mob situations the ‘round shield’ tac- different manoeuvers and procedures which tic envisages the use of batons to disperse the includes general foot cordons, basic shield and crowd. Police dogs also form part of the trai- violent person tactics. ning and are used as a spearhead, proving tre- Speaking to instructor Police Sergeant James mendously effective in these type of settings Rodriguez, he explained that the instruction and in bringing a violent person under control (training day) is chiefly aimed at shift officers, to carry out an arrest. so that they can acquire an essential knowled- ge and understanding of the various discipli- The ‘intermediate shield’ nes in case they are called upon to conduct pu- blic order functions. tactic is used when “Aside from this we have a designated Police controlling and pushing Support Unit which undertakes more speciali- back crowds to keep them sed training of foot cordons, intermediate shield tactics, round shield tactics, petrol bomb away. reception tactics, (what are commonly known as Molotov cocktails), building entry tactics and PS Rodriguez is a fully fledged police instructor dog tactics,” said PS Rodriguez. who recently underwent four weeks speciali- zed training in Manchester and a subsequent Additionally during the police recruit school two week tactical advisor course in Kent. period, the new intake of officers also carried out the training where they were introduced to Officers are trained to deal with numerous si- the shield tactics and other situations that can tuations and act as required to neutralize dan- be encountered in a public order breach scena- ger. Violent person tactics can also be deplo- rio. yed with the use of riot gear to gain entry into a building dynamically with shields, to challen- The various modalities of foot cordons are ge and detain an offender barricaded inside used as a crowd control device, even if there is and suspected of carrying a knife or other bla- no violence, also to disperse a mass of people, ded weapon. and to prevent access to a given point. They are also employed to close roads. The violent person tactic was successfully ap- plied in the drugs raid at the Queen’s Hotel in Shields are deployed when there is an increa- February. sed risk of attack from missiles, weapons, etc, and includes when police are under attack The PSU was deployed to good effect for the from windows or buildings and various forma- GFA match against the Republic of Ireland at n tions can be adopted, for instance the ‘Over- the Victoria Stadium last month. head’ (Roman) formation with the protective shields above the heads to counter any hurling THE BOBBY 27

The officer will be running like to take this opportunity to thank all of tho- the marathon in memory of se in the RGP that have already donated. her mother Catherine Berini, “As for what time I’m aiming for, I am running who passed away from can- this marathon with my partner so the only aim cer in January 2018. is to complete it as a team, I’m not too bothe- Asked what made her want red about the time it takes. As the saying goes, to run her first marathon, it’s about the marathon, not the sprint.” she told the Bobby Magazi- Running his first ever marathon in Edinburgh ne: “It was a moment of on May 27th is Scott Strachan. madness I think! I wanted to raise money for the Can- Scott, 31, from Glasgow, who has worked as a cer Relief Centre in Gibral- police officer in Gibraltar for four years, told tar as my mum was diagno- the Bobby Magazine that he wanted to run a sed with terminal pancrea- marathon to test himself and tick it off his buc- tic cancer in September ket list. 2017, where she was de- He said: “I also saw this as a good opportunity vastatingly told she had to do something I enjoy which could benefit a about a year to live. Sadly worthy cause, the Teenage Cancer Trust. she only made it to four months as she passed “Training has been tough and very demanding, away in January 2018. The with the most difficult thing being avoiding Cancer Relief Centre offe- getting injured which causes setbacks. I’ve also red my mum and family had to give up the beer!” support during her illness Scott initially planned to raise £500 for the and to me and my sister after her passing. PC Tony Gaul and PC Sharon Berini training in Gibraltar charity, but raised that amount in the first few “I wanted to show them our gratitude for what days of fundraising. So now he has set his tar- they do and initially thought about doing a pa- get to £1,000. rachute jump but I had already raised money Hoping to finish in 4.30 minutes, he added: “I’m RGP officers for charity in that way and although it was not mentally worried about completing the challenging, as I am quite fearful of heights, it marathon. However, I do worry that physically train for wasn’t challenging enough. I am not a runner my body won’t get through it. I’m hoping to and never have been, so the most challenging stay injury free in training and on the day of Lisbon thing I could do was run a marathon.” the race!” Sharon, who is hoping to raise £5,000 for the To sponsor Sharon and Tony visit www.justgi- charity, added: “In September 2018 my part- ving.com/fundraising/Sharon-Berini marathon ner’s father was diagnosed with terminal can- cer and passed away within a very short period To sponsor Scott visit www.justgiving.com/fun- n By Ashley Maer of three weeks. Tony will be running the marat- draising/scott-strachan1 hon with me to help drag me to the end and in PC Scott Strachan Three police officers are preparing to pound honour of our parents and everyone else who the streets of Lisbon and Edinburgh to raise has been touched by cancer.” thousands of pounds for cancer charities Also running the Lisbon Marathon is her part- Three Royal Gibraltar Police officers will be ner and fellow police officer Tony Gaul. swapping their polished boots for running shoes as they prepare to run marathons for Tony, 45, who is from the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, charity later this year. and has been in the RGP for three years, ex- plained that he hopes to test his endurance Sharon Berini, Tony Gaul and Scott Strachan and raise money for Cancer Relief Gibraltar. are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for The Cancer Relief Centre and the Teenage Can- The former soldier ran the Manchester Marat- cer Trust by completing the gruelling 42km hon in 2002 and a 105km ultra marathon in runs. 2015, whilst serving in the British Forces Gi- braltar. The officers started their training at the begin- ning of the year and can now be seen poun- When asked about his training so far, he said: ding the pavements of Gibraltar several times “It has been so enjoyable, especially as I have a week. found the love again for physical training and fitness. I definitely lost my way for about a year. Sharon Berini, 43, who was born in Peterbo- So no surrender ever again! rough, and has been in the RGP for 12 years, is running her first ever marathon in Lisbon, Por- “I hope to raise as much as possible, I’m not tugal, on the 20th of October. going to put a figure on it. That said I would 28 THE BOBBY

Police Commissioner Ian McGrail has together with their “methodical and The Commissioner presented commendations to RGP professional approach,” which resulted in an continued: “The public officers who successfully apprehended a effective anti-drug operation. can rest assured that Class ‘A’ drugs dealer operating in police officers are doing The drug dealer was subsequently convicted in Estate last December. their work diligently, court and handed a three year prison sentence. monitoring drug Police Sergeant Craig Goldwin and Constables Mr McGrail further stated that the case had movements and in a Joseph Cassaglia and Michael Heap had brought to light the positive interaction of state of preparedness to spotted a man acting suspiciously in the area police officers across Gibraltar, by means of act quickly in order to who, when challenged by officers handed over intelligence led targeted neighbourhood frustrate dealers and a plastic bag containing 43 grammes of patrols and close vigilance strategies that can confiscate illegal substances. cannabis resin and a wrapper with 33 often go unnoticed but are vital to detect and grammes of cocaine. “This case also highlights the importance of disrupt criminality. teamwork to secure the arrest of culprits. We A digital set of scales in working order was He said that the RGP will continue in its look forward to continue enjoying public also confiscated by police. untiring efforts to thwart drug related support in this regard to become even more Commissioner McGrail praised the officers’ activities in the community. efficient in the future.” “excellent work and observation skills,”

Mr McGrail also noted that his citation incorporated Chief Justice Dud- RGP officers ley’s positive comments and recognition for the RGPs good work at the obtain conclusion of the case. “He (the CJ) does not dish them out easily, and to get praise from him is Commissioner’s worthy of note,” said the Commissioner. commendation Mr McGrail said that Gibraltar could be proud that a case such as this, which is the most serious – short of terrorism – that a police force is ca- and praise from lled upon to investigate, had been tackled and resolved in a professional manner from start to finish, “from first responder to family liaison to fo- Chief Justice rensics.” The Commissioner reflected on how policing methods had advanced in One of the best yardsticks to measure the the past thirty years stating that nowadays DNA profiling and 3D recons- success and effectiveness of a police- truction of crime scenes were valuable tools at the disposal of police in- man’s efforts is the evidence that is placed in front of a judge and jury, vestigators. RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail told officers during the presentation of commendations to the investigating team involved in securing a succes- Mr McGrail added that fortunately Gibraltar did not come across these sful conviction in the Lishman murder case. type of cases very often and “touch wood that long it may remain the same.” n

The investigating team receiving their commendation from Commissioner McGrail THE BOBBY 29 Three new dogs join the RGP canine unit

The three new police dogs Flash, late situations very quickly without the need The names of the dogs with their respective Nyx and Gus that commenced for the use of force. handlers is as follows: PC Harrison and Police Dog Flash, PC Almeida and PD Nyx, PC Rowbot- service at the beginning of the Dogs are carefully selected for service and tom and PD Gus, PC Peñalver and PD Prince, PC handlers will seek certain traits and characte- year with the RGP canine section, Olivero and PD Ness, Sergeant Pisarello PDs ristics in the animal, often contained in their li- were on standby along with the Alfie and Bella, Sergeant Finlayson PDs Snipe neage, such as a high drive, determination, the and Spencer. Also in the picture RGP Commis- rest of the pack during last capacity to hold on to something and not let sioner and Dog Instructor Louis Baglietto. n month’s soccer match GFA v Eire go, and a retrieving instinct. at the Victoria Stadium. Police handlers Sergeants Pisarello and his was the animals’ first task since their Finlayson added that the training of Tpassing out ceremony in January in the pre- dogs is an ongoing exercise with refres- sence of Commissioner Ian McGrail, but the hment training taking place every three match turned out to be a peaceful affair so months, and the dogs will attain an ad- their services were not required. vanced level one or two years into the Police dog handlers PC Harrison, PC Almeida job. Police dogs normally retire and and PC Rowbottom received certificates of are rehoused at the age of seven or achievement from Mr McGrail after a gruelling eight. 16 week training period, a programme appro- “Outside of Police work they are very ved by the UK Chiefs Council friendly and approachable dogs, they (NPCC). are not biting machines as the pu- Additionally, a week of assessments was con- blic may think, what they do is hold ducted by an outside force, on this occasion it and restrain. In Gibraltar they are was a Bedfordshire Police assessor who came used to being in close proximity with the over to certify the dogs and the training. general public,” they said. The three dogs completed a demonstration of The course instructor was former police offi- their searching and restraining abilities at the cer Louis Baglietto of Let K9 Services who New Mole House courtyard, and displayed a was contracted to provide the tuition and the high level of training and discipline, obeying dogs. the instructions from their respective handlers Police dogs were introduced into the RGP for at every moment. the first time back in 2012. At present there are nine dogs in the unit, Commissioner Ian McGrail welcomed the three mostly German shepherd dogs, five for general police dogs to the RGP family confi- police operations, two for searching explosives dent that their rigorous training and another two for drugs and firearms. would be put to good use, and provi- These animals are very versatile and trained in de a valuable service to police ope- a range of skills which include searching for rations across a whole spectrum of persons, drugs, firearms, explosives and other police work. objects. They can also be engaged in criminal At the end of the passing out cere- investigations, finding and tracking offenders, mony, PD Stig who retired from RGP and following a human scent, to discover a hid- service was presented with a badge den person in an area or a building. of honour by Commissioner McGrail Police dogs can also be used for public order in recognition to his valuable contri- tasks as their mere presence tends to deesca- bution in numerous policing opera- tions. 30 THE BOBBY

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13th February, 2019 RGP arrests in support of broader Guardia Civil anti­ drug operation

RGP’s Crime Division detectives supported by armed officers yesterday executed search warrants and arrested three Spaniards and a Gibraltarian in flats at Ocean Village for suspected money laundering offences con- 1ST February, 2019 outboard engines, had been swamped and was nected to drug trafficking activities. drifting in the rough weather conditions. The local operation was carried out in sup- £14m drugs haul Despite various attempts neither the HM port of, and simultaneous with, a major Customs or RGP vessels were able to come Guardia Civil anti-drugs sweep in various recovered from sea near the stricken vessel due to the adverse sea locations in La Linea and the Campo de Gi- state. The larger Salvamento Maritimo craft braltar. after multi­agency “Denebola” subsequently managed to go RG Police had previously received informa- operation alongside the RHIB and recover the three tion regarding suspected money laundering occupants, who were conveyed to the port of activities in Gibraltar. Algeciras to receive medical attention. The A combined cross-border multi-agency partially sunk fast launch continued to drift The Guardia Civil conducted searches in maritime search and rescue operation by towards Gibraltar, ending up in Camp Bay. over 40 addresses throughout the Campo, vessels from HM Customs, RGP and the Spanish carrying out numerous arrests and seizing Salvamento Maritimo resulted in the recovery Land based Police units were deployed to the drugs and substantial amounts of cash and of 84 bales of suspected cannabis resin – area as the vessel subsequently capsized other valuables. weighing approximately three tons with an spilling its cargo into the sea. As the bales estimated street value of over £14m. began to wash onto land over an extensive On the basis of the information received, area of the shore line additional resources the RGP has instigated its own investigation The operation was carried out two nautical including, the entirety of RGP and GDP Police which is currently ongoing. miles off the Refinery refuelling buoy following recruits and elements of HM Customs, had to a report of a RHIB in distress with three be deployed to the area to assist in the RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail welcomed crewmen on board. The vessel, of at least 12m recovery of the drugs. n the outcome of the operation and stated in length and fitted with three high powered that information sharing between law en- forcement agencies is vital to combat orga- nized crime groups. Mr McGrail said: “Orga- nized crime knows no boundaries or fron- tiers so we must make RGP warn about the dangers of sharing sure we have effective information exchan- indecent images of children ging systems in place to collaborate against the scourge of drug trafficking and related The RGP reminds the public that it is an offence to possess, create or distribute criminality – we will not allow Gibraltar to images of sexual activity involving persons under the age of 18. be used as a [perceived] safe haven for the- se criminals – we will persevere in our ef- It has become popular in recent times for such videos and images to be shared on forts and continue to work with our coun- social networks like Facebook and Whatsapp especially amongst the youth, who terparts abroad.” may believe that this is just for amusement. All the suspects have been released on bail However just the sharing of such images, constitutes a serious criminal offence pending further police inquiries. that may lead to a criminal conviction. One of the arrested men is also subject to If any member of the public receives an image of this nature the advice is to an European Arrest Warrant issued by a Spa- please delete it immediately to avoid further distribution. nish tribunal, which means that there is These images can cause a great deal of distress now a period of 48 hours for the Spanish to thepersons affected and their families. authorities to provide the necessary docu- mentation for the warrant to be processed by a Gibraltar court. THE BOBBY 31

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21, Gianni recently travelled to Two Special Bridlington UK for the pool Olympians at championships. The two Special Olympians are the RGP now in training with the rest of the local squad gearing Two Special Olympics athletes Marvin Zammit 27 themselves up for the challenge and Gianni Ochello 17 form part of the RGPs full of competing in the World time Support Staff at the vehicle compound in Summer Games that take place in Rosia Battery. Abu Dhabi, the United Arab They both carry out maintenance duties for the Emirates from March 14-21. police vehicle fleet. The games will involve 7,500 Marvin an all-round sportsman who has athletes from at least 170 represented Gibraltar at several events in the nations, participating in 24 Special Olympics has been with the RGP for the different sports. They take place past ten years, while new addition Gianni a in venues throughout the United Olympics student at the Gibraltar College of Further Arab Emirates. movement.” Education forms part of the Special Olympics Malcolm Figueras said: “Law Commissioner Ian McGrail said: “The RGP football and 8-Ball Pool teams. enforcement agencies have always supported the embraces equal opportunities and it is a great He is currently undergoing gaming work Special Olympics, and in Gibraltar the RGP has pleasure to have those two loving characters experience as part of his college course. close links through the Torch Run and other among us. charity initiatives. The two Special Olympians trained hard with the “They are two great lads who bring a lot of rest of the local squad and while Marvin “It is something close to home for us and affection to the workplace and are regarded as competed in the World Summer Games that took emergency services generally. Having these two part of the RGP family. They are also excellent place in Abu Dhabi, the United Emirates March 14- lads working in the organisation ties in nicely with ambassadors for Gibraltar in their sporting our support and collaboration with the Special disciplines.”

Minister Costa’s visit to the New Mole questions to politicians, which helps them st 21 February 2019 House Police Station, which he undertakes to understand their thinking. Given the law annually, since his appointment as Minister and order challenges that Gibraltar faces in Minister Costa for Justice, allowed him to gain first-hand the coming months and years, it is very insight into the final stages of the new important that we have clear lines of meets RGP and recruit’s preparation, prior to becoming communications with the government of GDP trainees at operational Police Officers. the day to ensure that vital policing issues are prioritised and given the importance The current recruit intake is made up of 14 that they deserve.” New Mole House RGP and 3 GDP recruit constables, who are currently undergoing a 17-week initial Minister Costa highlighted the vital role police training course. The training that police officers play in upholding law Minister for Health, Care and Justice, Neil includes: criminal offences, police powers and order in our community, providing a key Costa MP, addressed the new intake of and other legislation, along with public service and keeping Gibraltar safe. Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) and Gibraltar investigative skills and interview training. He stated: “I would like to thank Defence Police (GDP) recruits ahead of The recruits are also involved in practical Commissioner McGrail for offering me the their passing out parade. sessions, including public order, unarmed opportunity to, once again, address the new defence tactics and the use of, and recruits at New Mole House. To serve and exposure to, incapacitant spray. The recruits safeguard one’s community is an honour completed their passing out parade at John and a great responsibility. Every one of the Mackintosh Square on Wednesday 13th new recruits is taking a brave step in facing March 2019, prior to becoming operational. the trials and sacrifices that come with a Commissioner of Police, Mr Ian McGrail career in policing. I wish to reiterate my said: “A Minister’s visit to New Mole House strong support and admiration, and that of provides recruits with an invaluable the Government and, I am sure, of our opportunity to have close contact with a community, for the invaluable work the Government Minister, which is not police forces carry out. As Minister with something that will be very common, once responsibility for Justice, I am entirely they start their operational duties. As with committed to ensuring that the RGP is previous occasions, it was encouraging to adequately resourced and equipped to deal see how new entrants pose interesting with the challenges that arise.” 32 THE BOBBY

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22th March 2019 Car overturns after spectacular traffic accident

There was a spectacular traffic accident at Devil’s Tower Road in the early hours of March 22 2019 when a car overturned after a collision with the central he Gibraltar registered vehicle was ex- tion of the scene, traffic management and reservation. The four occupants Ttensively damaged and the road had to tow truck drivers. Additionally, a Fire and be closed for over four hours. A total of Rescue Service appliance and full crew were were unharmed although the driver, twelve officers were committed to this inci- also involved as were two GHA ambulances, a local 21 year old man was dent, with tasks ranging from first response, Highways and GibElec personnel. arrested for dangerous driving. initial investigation, recording and examina-

25th February 2019 RGP hand over crime suspect to Spain after European Arrest Warrant

panish national Fabian Sanchez Vega 46, Swanted in Spain for alleged drug and money laundering offences was extradited to Spain this morning and handed over by RGP officers to the Policía Nacional at the border. The suspect had been arrested in Gibraltar on February 12 2018 on the strength of a Eu- ropean Arrest Warrant, following an RGP ope- ration in support of a major organised crime crackdown by the Guardia Civil in the neigh- bouring region. CUSTOM MADE FITTED UNIFORMS AND SUITS Sanchez Vega appeared in the Magistrates Court on February 15 2018 and did not con- test the EAW issued by a Spanish court. The judge subsequently ordered the extradi- tion to proceed. Under Spanish law he faces a maximum term of 28 years and six months imprisonment on conviction. RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail expressed sa- tisfaction at the smooth hand-over and reite- rated the excellent cooperation that exists RUSSELL-STUART with Spanish law enforcement agencies to bring organised crime groups to justice. (UK) TAILORS LTD TEL: 57448000 / EMAIL: [email protected] THE BOBBY 33

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7th February 2019 5th March 2019 SEXUAL OFFENCES MURDER CONVICTION CONVICTION Real Lishman 43, was today convicted at the Supreme Court for the murder of his wife Carolina Elizabeth Lishman, aged 32. British national Andrew Grey 57, charged with two counts of possession of indecent images of The incident occurred at the Lishman’s home address in Apricot Court on Wednesday 8th young persons was sentenced to two years and December 2017. The RGP would like to express its gratitude to all those who assisted three months imprisonment at the Supreme police throughout the investigation. lst sentencing will take place on the 15th April 2019, Court for each of the 2 counts, which are to run the conviction brings to a conclusion an extensive and arduous police investigation that concurrently. has been emotionally taxing on all those involved. The RGP wishes to once again express their condolences to Carolina’s family, and in particular to her young daughter who has lost Grey was arrested in January 2018. both her parents. n He appeared before the Court in May 2018 and pleaded guilty to the charges, which related to 13th February 2019 a total of 73 videos files containing indecent images of young persons, but argued that he had done so unintentionally and the matter British national was therefore set down for a Newton Hearing. arrested for However, on appearing before the Court Grey informed the Court he accepted the Crown’s possession of case and was not disputing the intentional downloading of the images. cocaine Grey has been on remand since his first Court appearance in May 2018. n RGP Drug Squad officers yesterday conducted an anti-drugs operation to detect a suspected class A drugs dealer. 15th February 2019 The 34 year old British national was arrested Four men arrested outside a military establishment and found to be carrying several individual wrappers sus- during Queen’s Hotel pected to contain approximately 56 grammes hostel police drugs raid of cocaine.

our men were arrested by RGP officers He was apprehended for possession and pos- Fyesterday afternoon in connection with session with intent to supply the said amount an anti-drugs operation carried out at the of drugs. Queen’s Hotel government hostel. A The operation also involved search warrants quantity of controlled drugs believed to being executed at two different locations with be amphetamines, approximately in the aid of specialized sniffer dogs. excess of 300 grammes was seized in one The man has been granted bail with condi- of the apartments. tions. n The suspects, three aged 41, 36 and 44, and a Spaniard aged 36, were arrested for alleged possession and possession with intent to supply the controlled class B drug. The extensive police operation included the execution of search orders, uniformed officers, Scene of Crime officers and the dog section. The four men were conveyed to New Mole House for questioning while exhaustive police enquires continued until the early hours. All four men were subsequently released on bail while investigations continue. n W www.gibraltarlawyers.com Whatever’s on the horizon, we’ve got your back

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