The Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP) is a civil police force which provides a policing and security service for the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. Prior to 17 December 2009 it was known as the Gibraltar Services Police (GSP).

Overview

The Gibraltar Defence Police is one of three civilian police forces within the UK Ministry of Defence. Officers are sworn under the Police Act of the Laws of Gibraltar. The Chief of Police is currently John McVea. An independent civilian police force which also provides civilian unarmed guards, the Chief of Police is responsible to the Commander,

British Forces Gibraltar British Forces Gibraltar constitute those elements of the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopov ...

Structure

In 2020, the strength of the force was said to be: one chief of police, one deputy chief of police, two chief inspectors, five

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

s, 14

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

s, 72

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

s, together with civilian support staff and uniformed guards. As of 2023, the total strength of the force was said to be about 100 officers.

Headquarters

Since 2016 the GDP has shared a purpose-built

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

with the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

Joint Provost and Security Unit (JPSU) (military police) at HM Naval Base Gibraltar.

Pay and conditions

Pay and conditions of the force are identical to those of the

Ministry of Defence Police The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force#United Kingdom, special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are ...

(MDP) in 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, of which it is a direct equivalent. The Gibraltar Defence Police Federation represents the interests of police officers up to the rank of chief inspector.

Specialist units

Firearms

There is no specialist firearms unit. Like the MDP, all GDP officers are trained in the use of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

Marine unit

The force has a Marine Unit, founded in 1990, which consists of a sergeant and over 20 constables. It is charged with the seaward defence of Gibraltar's

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

facilities and the

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s moored in them, and also assists the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section with general security and enforcement patrols of waters surrounding Gibraltar. It operates two motor launches and two

rigid-hulled inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull (watercraft), hull bottom joined to side-forming a ...

s (RHIBs). The original motor launches of 1998 were replaced in 2003 with larger and faster launches. One of these was itself replaced with a newer boat in 2012. In 2021, the Ministry of Defence contracted with Marine Specialised Technology to build 16 new patrol boats for the

and a further two specifically for the Gibraltar Defence Police. The new 15m boats, which are replacing the existing vessels, have a crew of three (plus room for four more passengers), a top speed of 30 knots and are fitted with both ballistic protection and CCTV surveillance systems. Delivery of the vessels was expected to begin in July 2022. The RHIBs are Arctic 24 type boats, capable of speeds up to . Since 2011, the police marine unit has shared a headquarters and boathouse with the

Gibraltar Squadron The Gibraltar Squadron is a unit of the United Kingdom, British Royal Navy. It is the only seagoing Royal Naval unit based in Gibraltar, attached to British Forces Gibraltar. It currently includes two Cutlass-class patrol vessel, ''Cutlass''-cla ...

of the

. The boathouse holds the Navy's five patrol boats and RHIBs, and the police's four patrol boats and RHIBs.

Dog section

The GDP dog section was formed in 2012, and consists of a team of handlers, led by a sergeant, and six general purpose dogs. The initial six dogs are of the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) and Dutch Shepherd Dog breeds. The GDP previously relied on service dogs and handlers seconded from United Kingdom police forces, but as part of the GDP Project Euston, which seeks to replace all secondment from UK forces with locally provided Gibraltarian services, the GDP dog section has been established.References for breeds and Project Euston may be found on th
UK Government website

Drugs intelligence

The force seconds officers to the Gibraltar Co-ordinating Centre for Criminal Intelligence and Drugs (GCID).

Ranks

The rank structure of the GDP follows other British police forces, with ranks from chief officer down to constable.

Gallery

A collection of photographs of the GDP: File:GB Airways aircraft landing at Gibraltar Airport.jpg, GDP officer File:Gibraltar Defence Police shed at runway crossing.JPG, Gibraltar Defence Police shed at runway crossing File:Boats of the Gibraltar Defence Police Marine Unit MOD 45157643.jpg, An Arctic 24 Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) and the police launch 'Sir Evan Gibb', both of the Gibraltar Defence Police Marine Unit are pictured at speed in the Bay of Gibraltar. File:Boats of the Gibraltar Defence Police Marine Unit MOD 45157642.jpg, The same boats, but with a view from the front File:Gibraltar Police Car 4 x 4.jpg, Gibraltar Police 4x4, notice the naval ('RN') number plate - all GDP vehicles carry military number plates File:Gibraltar Police car 3.jpg, Gibraltar Police Ford police car

References

External links

GSP Marine Unit
{{Gibraltar topics

Ministry of Defence Police Law enforcement agencies of Gibraltar 2000s establishments in Gibraltar 2009 establishments in British Overseas Territories Civilian police forces of defense ministries