The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) is, along with

His Majesty's Customs (Gibraltar) His Majesty's Customs (Gibraltar) are the primary customs and import authority in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is a uniformed, enforcement body, controlled by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Gibraltar. The customs offic ...

, the principal civilian

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LE ...

in the

British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

. It is the oldest police force in the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...

outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The Royal Gibraltar Police, previously the Gibraltar Police Force, was formed in 1830, only nine months after Sir Robert Peel founded the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

in London. It was Peel who sent one of his officers to Gibraltar to form the Gibraltar Police Force. The force was granted the "''Royal''" prefix by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 1992. The force works with the

Gibraltar Defence Police The Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) is a civil police force which provides a policing and security service for the Ministry of Defence in Gibraltar. Prior to 17 December 2009 it was known as the Gibraltar Services Police (GSP).

(GDP),

Border and Coastguard Agency (Gibraltar) The Borders and Coastguard Agency is the combined border guard and coast guard of Gibraltar. It was established as a statutory agency by an Act of the Gibraltar Parliament and has been operating since 1 November 2011. Customs duties are handle ...

, HM Prison Service and the military Joint Provost and Security Unit.

Personnel strength and deployment

The force, referred to locally 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 the 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. The RGP also acted as immigration officers at all entry points until the early 1990s. The current headquarters is at New Mole House Police Station, Rosia Road. The Previous HQ used to be at 120 Irish Town. There are plans to turn this into a Police Museum. There is a sub-station at Casemates Square. Royal Gibraltar Police headquarters

Uniform

In general the uniformed officers of the

force follow British police models in their dress. On foot patrol, male constables and sergeants, like their counterparts in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

and

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, 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

in 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 in

, the Brunswick star is used as the basis for the force badge, with a central device representing

. The badge appears also as the helmet plate. Royal Gibraltar Police Inspector

Rank structure

The RGP rank structure follows the usual UK police pattern, but with fewer ranks. The chief police officer is known as the

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

The RGP ranks consist of: Royal Gibraltar Police chief inspector in dress uniform edit

RGP Marine Section

The Royal Gibraltar Police force have a marine section located in the Royal Navy Base, This facility is jointly used with the Gibraltar Defence Police Marine Section. Since 2012 there have been many new additions to the unit including jet skis and larger vessels. The role of the RGP Marine Section is to enforce the law in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and this often includes co-operation with other local and international agencies. The RGP Marine Section plays a vital role in anti-drug smuggling operations for the local area. Vessels of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section: *''Sir William Jackson'' *''Sir Joshua Hassan'' *''Sir Francis Richards'' *''Sir John Chapple''

Chief of Police 1830 to 1937. As from 1937 Commissioner of Police

Equipment

RGP officers employ a wide variety of equipment for police work, such as motor vehicles, sea vessels, arrest equipment and radios. Vehicles carry the UK police 'battenburg' style livery, with blue flashing lights and sirens. Unlike the UK, however, these are left hand drive vehicles, as traffic in Gibraltar drives on the right.

Gallery

File:Royal Gibraltar Police ARV.jpg,

Armed Response Vehicle An armed response vehicle (ARV) is a type of police car operated by police forces in the United Kingdom. ARVs are crewed by authorised firearms officers to respond to incidents believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations. ARVs are ...

of the Royal Gibraltar Police. File:K20P1600.JPG, Rigid-hulled inflatable boat PMB 2 of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section. File:Parade duties.JPG, Three officers on duty at the Queen's Birthday Parade in 2007. File:Central Police Station 2.jpg, Central Police Station in Irish Town. File:CSI gibraltar.jpg, Crime Scene Investigation Unit in Gibraltar File:Sir Joshua Hassan - RGP.jpg, Vessel of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section ''Sir Joshua Hassan''. File:Sir William Jackson - RGP.jpg, Vessel of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section ''Sir William Jackson'', one of the newer vessels to be added to the RGP fleet. File:RGP Patrol Car.JPG, RGP Ford Kuga patrol car File:Sir John Chapple - RGP.jpg, Vessel of the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section ''Sir John Chapple'', one of the newer vessels to be added to the RGP fleet. File:Royal Gibraltar Police motorcycle (2).JPG, Royal Gibraltar Police

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

motorcycle (2011) File:Royal Gibraltar Police van.jpg, Royal Gibraltar Police van (2009)

References

External links

Royal Gibraltar Police official website
{{Police

Law enforcement agencies of Gibraltar Organizations with royal patronage Government agencies established in 1830 19th-century establishments in Gibraltar 1830 establishments in Gibraltar