Dec 19 - Interpol Revitalisation Visit
The Gibraltar Interpol bureau operated for the Royal Gibraltar Police at the Gibraltar Coordinating Centre for Criminal Intelligence and Drugs has this week hosted a revitalisation visit. Gibraltar has hosted two officers from Interpol’s National Central Bureau Coordination Sub-Directorate for Europe based at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon and also an officer from Interpol UK.
The visit conducted under the scope of the “Exchange of good practices between NCB’s” project seeks to establish whether Interpol’s 24 service standards are being met by NCBs. Gibraltar has been visited previously in both 2003 and 2006, where a number of recommendations were made. Speaking to Commissioner Eddie Yome, the head of the visiting team, Chief Superintendent Ridvan Gunaydin of the Turkish Police was happy to report that all the recommendations had now been met, including the increase of resources at the bureau. Chief Superintendent Gunaydin commented that this is a remarkable achievement for Gibraltar as not all NCBs implement recommendations to meet the 24 service standards so expeditiously.
The visiting delegation comprising of the aforementioned Ridvan Gunaydin, Ms Deshka Maneva of the Bulgarian Police, (both from the NCB Coordination Sub Directorate in Lyon) and Paul Boone, Operations Manager at the UK International Crime Bureau with the National Crime Agency have been visiting the RGP Commissioner, a number of police units and the Marine Section. All have been impressed by the professionalism, close working relationships and skills displayed by the officers of the RGP, with Ms Maneva describing the RGP as a “boutique” police force. The delegation also met with the Minister for Justice Gilbert Licudi, and separately with the Borders and Coastguard Agency.
Whilst in Gibraltar Mr Gunaydin extended an invitation to Interpol’s Operational Working Group Meeting on the Interflow Initiative focusing on drug trafficking through Africa. Commissioner Yome has accepted the invitation for the RGP to attend and address the working group on the role played by local law enforcement in the fight against drugs. Gibraltar’s strategic location across one of the major routes for smuggling of illicit drugs into Europe from North Africa places the Royal Gibraltar Police at the forefront of the fight against drug smuggling across the Straits.
This week has also seen the formalisation of the relationship between the Gibraltar Interpol Bureau and Interpol UK’s National Central Bureau. Commissioner Yome has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the head of Interpol UK which was formally signed this week. The MoU will standardise procedures and working practices between the two bureaus and also reflects the operational independence of Gibraltar’s Interpol bureau.
During the visit the Commissioner was presented with an Interpol crest by Chief Superintendent Gunaydin. Commissioner Yome also presented the visiting officers with an RGP crest.
