Royal Gibraltar Police
Encyclopedia
The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) is, along with the Gibraltar Customs, the principal civilian law enforcement agency
in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar
. It is the oldest Police force in the Commonwealth of Nations
outside the United Kingdom.
It was formed as the Gibraltar Police on 25 June 1830, upon Gibraltar being declared a crown colony
. The force's creation came shortly after the establishment of the Metropolitan Police
in 1829 in England and it was the first police service formed outside the United Kingdom
.
The force was granted the "Royal" prefix by Queen Elizabeth II
in 1992.
From its inception, up until 1999 when St. John Ambulance Brigade took over, the Gibraltar Police provided the territory's only emergency ambulance service, using officers seconded from the Operations Division. Also until the early 1990s the RGP acted as immigration officers at all entry points.
The current headquarters is at New Mole House Police Station, Rosia Road. There is also a substation at 120 Irish Town, which was the previous HQ.
force follow British police models in their dress. On foot patrol male constables and sergeants, like their counterparts in England and Wales, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Bermuda. wear the traditional headgear of the "bobby on the beat", correctly known as the "custodian helmet
", which is similar to some Army helmets and was adopted by the Metropolitan Police of London in 1863 to replace the top hat formerly worn, other forces then following suit. The helmet is traditionally made of cork covered outside by felt or serge like material that matches the tunic.
As in many police forces of England and Wales, the Brunswick star
is used as the basis for the force crest, with a central device representing Gibraltar
. The crest appears also as the helmet plate.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. It is the oldest Police force in the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
outside the United Kingdom.
It was formed as the Gibraltar Police on 25 June 1830, upon Gibraltar being declared a crown colony
Crown colony
A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
. The force's creation came shortly after the establishment of the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
in 1829 in England and it was the first police service formed outside the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The force was granted the "Royal" prefix by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in 1992.
Personnel Strength and Deployment
The force, locally referred to as the RGP currently numbers over 220 officers, who are divided into a number of units. These include CID, Drug Squad, Special Branch, Firearms Unit, Scene of Crime Examiners, Traffic Department, Marine Section, and Operations Division.From its inception, up until 1999 when St. John Ambulance Brigade took over, the Gibraltar Police provided the territory's only emergency ambulance service, using officers seconded from the Operations Division. Also until the early 1990s the RGP acted as immigration officers at all entry points.
The current headquarters is at New Mole House Police Station, Rosia Road. There is also a substation at 120 Irish Town, which was the previous HQ.
Uniform
In general the uniformed officers of the GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
force follow British police models in their dress. On foot patrol male constables and sergeants, like their counterparts in England and Wales, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Bermuda. wear the traditional headgear of the "bobby on the beat", correctly known as the "custodian helmet
Custodian helmet
Custodian helmet or centurion helmet, technically known as a 'Home Office pattern helmet', is a helmet worn by many policemen in England and Wales.-History:...
", which is similar to some Army helmets and was adopted by the Metropolitan Police of London in 1863 to replace the top hat formerly worn, other forces then following suit. The helmet is traditionally made of cork covered outside by felt or serge like material that matches the tunic.
As in many police forces of England and Wales, the Brunswick star
Brunswick star
The Brunswick star is an emblem which in outline is an eight-pointed or sixteen-pointed star, but which is composed of many narrow rays. It is used in Britain to surround the Royal Cypher on various badges, such as that worn on the caps and helmets of almost all police forces...
is used as the basis for the force crest, with a central device representing Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. The crest appears also as the helmet plate.
Commissioner of Police
- 1830 H. Morgan
- 1859 C. Armstrong
- 1870 G.F. Stohelin
- 1875 S. Blair
- 1882 W.F. Cottrell
- 1883 W. Seed
- 1895 J.L. Bennet
- 1911 J. Cochrane
- 1927 W.S. Gulloch
- 1937 D.S. Gowing
- 1953 A.L. Abraham MVO.
- 1960 P.G. Owen
- 1962 L. Hannon MBE.
- 1968 J.D.O. Bird QPM.
- 1975 R.B. Gordon QPM.
- 1975 R.S. Williams
- Joseph C. Morello CPM.
- Joseph L. Canepa CPM.
- 1997 Alan J. Castree QPM
- 2001 Joseph Ullger QPM.
- 2006 Louis Wink
External links
See also
- Gibraltar Services PoliceGibraltar Services PoliceThe Gibraltar Defence Police is a civil police force which guards and enforces law on Ministry of Defence installations in Gibraltar. Prior to 17 December 2009 it was known as the Gibraltar Services Police...
- Law of GibraltarLaw of GibraltarThe law of Gibraltar is a combination of common law and statute, and is based heavily upon English law.The English Law Act of 1962 stipulates that English common law will apply to Gibraltar unless overridden by Gibraltar law...