The Royal Gibraltar Police and Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP) signed a historic twinning arrangement at the Convent today.

Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger and Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell of the DCP signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst, at 11:30am. 

The agreement aims to create a supportive relationship between the two forces, who will share expertise, experience and provide each other with training opportunities such as secondments.

Plans for the MoU began back in 2019 and are supported by both the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Richard Ullger, Commissioner of Police, said: “This will be hugely beneficial to the RGP, as we will be able to reach out to a force which is much larger than us and which has more subject matter experts in a variety of policing fields. The agreement will allow us to reap benefits in learning, training and experience, which in turn will help us to keep Gibraltar a safe place for everyone who lives and works here.”

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, commented: “It is a pleasure to be here in Gibraltar today to join forces with the Royal Gibraltar Police. As a larger force, the agreement will predominantly centre on us supporting our colleagues in the RGP, who face the challenges of operating in a complex policing environment with significantly smaller police resources and no near British Overseas Territory neighbours to call upon for support. Our support will include training, secondments, peer to peer support and signposting to national best practice.”

His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst said: “I am extremely grateful to Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell for agreeing to the twinning agreement and the support of the Devon and Cornwall Police will be of immense benefit to the Royal Gibraltar Police.”