The GSD says that it is clear from some of the Government’s public statements that they are “embarked on an attempt to deflect from the Chief Minister’s own failings by turning attention to the RGP.” The party says the RGP “should not be made scapegoats in this process and it is a disservice to the RGP as an institution for the Chief Minister to talk down the Police in his desperate attempt at political survival.”

A statement continued: “In the Government’s PR of 23 December, the Chief Minister said that “it will be striking for you to note that the Inquiry Report makes more recommendations for the RGP to improve than any other organisation or person in the Report”. In subsequent media comments he has praised current leadership of the RGP implying that he is critical of the previous Command Team. Again, that is part of the same tactic and is unfair to the Force as a whole and its senior officers who have worked under extremely difficult conditions over the last few years. It is also contradictory to public statements by the previous Governor in recent years when he praised the RGP and its progress publicly.

“What is striking is the blatant attempt at passing the buck and attempt at distraction. As is obvious from the RGP’s own public submissions to the Inquiry the RGP asked the Inquiry Chairman to make many recommendations in his Report and he did. These recommendations were clearly specifically advanced to strengthen the RGP’s governance and accountability through the Gibraltar Police Authority, including the need for a revised and improved Police Act. For Mr Picardo to therefore misrepresent the number of recommendations made as somehow meaning that the focus should be turned from his own misconduct to police failings is perverse.

“The GSD has already committed itself to implementing the Report’s recommendations but their context and source needs to be properly understood. It is deeply unfair for the government through Mr Picardo to deflect responsibility and wash their hands of blame.”

Shadow Minister for Justice, Joelle Ladislaus, said: “For years the RGP were working under less than desirable conditions, owing in great part to being chronically under-resourced. This led to deployment of assets and resources to other areas, placing the Force under greater pressure.

“Throwing the RGP under the bus without taking any responsibility for some of those issues, or indeed not taking full responsibility for his own misconduct towards the Police by attempting to interfere in a criminal investigation via grossly improper means does nothing to uphold the RGP as an institution or principles of good governance. The Government can’t attempt to escape the serious findings about the Chief Minister’s conduct in the Report by changing the subject.”