Government & Opposition clash again on police resourcing

The Opposition says under-resourcing in the Royal Gibraltar Police is affecting operational effectiveness.

However, the Government says funding for the force is at record levels.

The GSD points to comments made by Police Commissioner Owain Richards in a recent GBC interview.

It argues that limited staffing, changing demands on policing and poor infrastructure are placing growing pressure on the Force.

Shadow Minister for Justice Joelle Ladislaus said election promises of a new police station have not been delivered and that key units, including community policing and the drugs squad, were disbanded due to lack of resources.

But Number Six says the Opposition criticisms contradict wider GSD criticism of public spending.

It says police funding has risen by almost 70 percent since 2011, increasing from around ten-and-a-half million pounds to more than seventeen million pounds this year - an increase well beyond inflation.

The Government says it remains firmly supportive of the Royal Gibraltar Police, highlighting funding for legal representation during the inquest into the 2020 deaths at sea and expressing full confidence in the Force’s current leadership.