Former member of RGP marine section appears in court in ongoing death at sea inquest

On Friday morning the court heard from a former member of the RGP marine section in an ongoing inquest into the deaths of two Spanish men over five years ago.

Mustafa Dris Mohamed and Mohamed Abdeslam Ahmed were killed following a collision during a pursuit between an RGP vessel and a Spanish RHIB in the early hours of 8th March 2020.

The inquest is examining the training and instructions provided to RGP officers, and the conduct of the two senior officers aboard the vessel - both leading up to, and following, the fatal crash.

Retired RGP officer, Herbert Warwick gave evidence refering to his 20 years experience as a senior coxswain.

He told the court he agreed that RGP vessels should have their AIS on at all times, but added he was in favor of the tracking devices being encrypted, as otherwise their location would be visible to all, and make it impossible for police to operate as suspect vessels would have a huge advantage over them.

When asked if in ordinary circumstances he would know where he was in the water, Mr Warwick said that with his ability he should know.