Sep 24 - GDP Sees Off Guardia Civil Attempted Executive Action
The Gibraltar Defence Police swiftly attended an incident yesterday evening during which the Guardia Civil’s Rio Cedeña chased a small pleasure craft from the Detached Mole towards the South Mole entrance to the harbour.
At around 8:30pm the Guardia Civil vessel, which was well inside British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, turned on its flashing emergency lights and started pursuing a small white boat which was heading towards the South Mole entrance. A GDP patrol boat, which was stationed next to the security cordon set up for HMS Ocean, quickly approached the Spanish vessel and managed to disrupt the chase.
After some tense moments during which both law enforcement vessels were side by side, the Guardia Civil sped off. By this time, the RGP and Royal Navy had also arrived on the scene.
The Convent has released a statement on the incident which it calls “a breach of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea” which it will be protesting “directly with the Spanish Government.”
A statement continued: “The UK strongly supports cooperation between the respective agencies in and around the Strait of Gibraltar, including on law enforcement and maritime safety. However respect for the sovereignty of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters must be upheld at all times. Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it. They do not weaken or undermine the international legal basis for British sovereignty over Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.”
