Commissioner Of Police’s Statement - Sunday COVID-19 Briefing
Here’s the full text of the Commissioner of Police’s opening statement at this afternoon’s COVID-19 briefing:
Good afternoon
In my last address to you all on 21st April 2020, I explained how challenging and complex it was to police the emergency regulations which provide for the community safety measures we are all very aware of.
I say complex because from the very beginning I wanted to strike the right balance of how the theory behind the regulations was to be upheld in actual practice and in a manner which was lawful, proportionate and fair.
I say challenging because as I have said before, in Gibraltar, we police by consent and I’ve had to give very serious consideration to the impact our enforcement activity would have on the legitimacy of the RGP and our relationship with the community.
In a way, policing of the stricter earlier versions of the regulations has been easier to manage. With the gradual lifting of the restrictions I envisage more challenges for policing.
Challenges from members of the public who push boundaries of what Public Health Gibraltar and Government are trying to achieve. We cannot for a moment lose sight that the existing measures and their gradual unlocking are considered and implemented on public health and economic advice.
During the easing of restrictions I would ask you not to feel sour that it is the police who are telling you what is and what is not allowed.
We are the tool that give effect to what the law states on the advice of Public Health and economists.
We are here to ensure the individual and collective safety of Gibraltar. But what is clear is that this responsibility is very difficult to uphold by ourselves, even with the support of other law enforcement partners.
It is as much the responsibility of businesses and the individuals to support the policing efforts to mitigate the risks of a surge of the virus.
And therefore I will refer to one of the principles of modern day policing created by Sir Robert Peel in 1829, that is 191 years ago, and which still remains ever so relevant today and more so during these times.
The founder of modern policing said .........“the police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”
So what did Sir Robert Peel mean when he set forth this principle?
He meant that
[if !supportLists]. [endif](i) The police are members of society (we are all in this together)
[if !supportLists]. [endif](ii) The police are paid to enforce the rules of society
[if !supportLists]. [endif](iii) Everyone (every citizen) has a duty (the duty is incumbent) to follow and to enforce the rules of
society
Community welfare and existence refers to those rules which are needed for the good of us all so that we can live together – which is precisely the situation we face today with our Government fluidly issuing and tweaking rules for the benefit of us all as we navigate through the pandemic.
In essence, the founder of the Bobbies said that even though the police are paid to monitor society we are also members of that society and that everyone has a similar duty.
And so I say, start policing your very own selves so that we, as a society, can pull through this a lot better.
I say this because I strongly sense that many people have formed the mind-set that they are immune to the virus or that it is worth while taking unnecessary risks.
These people will no doubt be the same ones who will offer views that the public health crisis we are ALL living through was inappropriately handled by the authorities when the virus spreads and potentially starts claiming lives.
Regrettably, it seems that the penny will not drop until fatalities begin to occur.
I most sincerely hope that we do not become the victims of our own success after the great community effort displayed to suppress the wild spread of the virus.
But if people fail to assume responsibility for their behaviours, ignoring public health advice and abusing the exemptions of the law, COVID-19 will spread and some of us will pay the price......you can ask the Italians that or the north Americans who didn’t take this seriously initially.
What we have noticed since Government announced the easing of some restrictions is that many people have used this opportunity to push through a false sense of security that everything is back to normal when it is not.
There are still many of the restrictions in place; you can only go out to exercise, to go the doctor, to walk a dog, to attend to the care of a vulnerable person...and now under the easing of restrictions you can also, for example, shop for non- essential goods and attend a hairdresser or barber.
But this does not mean you can show up at the barber’s shop without an appointment - and if asked to move on by a police officer go and sit down in the Piazza waiting for your turn which is an hour away.
It does not mean waiting outside a shop whilst your wife or husband or partner does the shopping.
It does not mean relaxing and doing some people watching sat on public benches or gather in groups with people you haven’t seen for a long time and hug and kiss.
It does not mean going down to the small boats marina and hanging about on a berthed boat with a picnic and friends, because we are treating this area like a car park.
What it does mean is “go to shop, buy what you need and get back home”..... “have you haircut by all means, and then go back home.”
Do not remain wandering around the streets - do not head off to the beaches or up the rock because we are controlling access.
I have said it all along, we fully understand the stresses the restrictions bring on us. Enforcement is not our preferred option but we will process people if they do not take heed of instructions or requests made by officers.
The following is the latest data up to 8am today relating to the interventions our hard working officers have made with regards to breaches of the COVID19 regulations.
These statistics cover the period of 23rd March to 0800hrs today 3rd May:
Overall total of interventions stands 965 which I can break down as follows;-
48 persons have been arrested. 12 have been reported for process
83 persons taken home in accordance with the powers conferred by the regulations
438 were requested home
384 have been warned and offered advice.
From the overall total of 965 there were 216 that over 70 – please bear mind that the data in this regard includes the period before the restrictions for the over 70s were modified to allow for exercise.
When providing you with these figures, I want you to know our officers do not turn up for duty to spoil your day or infringe on your rights. We are here to help our beloved Gibraltar come out of this in the best possible way.
In addition to the interventions I have referred to, we are constantly dealing with other crimes and calls for our services - and I must say officers are responding to these admirably.
Many a times we draw comparisons with policing in the United Kingdom – and indeed we are modelled as such.
I am in close communication with our counterparts in both the UK and across the border and can proudly say, the manner in which the officers of the RGP and partner agencies have stepped up to the plate during these times stands out remarkably when compared to these other nations.
Yes, we are a smaller jurisdiction but we feature as the police force with the lowest percentage record of sickness absence in the whole of the UK and overseas territories and crown dependencies. Our sickness absence averages 2% where the UK average is 10%
I am told that the levels for the GDP and HM Customs are also very low which is extremely encouraging.
I want to thank ALL our law enforcement officers and support staff who operate behind the scenes....our front line officers, supervisors, , planners, admin staff, commanders, our media team. A great all round effort indeed.
Before I finish my address, I want to highlight another seemingly silent risk that is out there and which should remain very prominent in the minds of parents and guardians of young children.
I know during these times of being asked to remain at home our nerves and patience can be tested to great lengths. But I would ask that you do not drop the guard on what your kids are doing on-line.
Who are they accepting as friends on FaceBook, Tik Tok, Instagram and the likes? Who is following them? Who are they engaging with? What sites are they visiting? What apps are they using?
Your child may be a teenager who thinks he/she are adult enough, but the reality is they need your wisdom and guidance.
Talk frankly to your children about issues related to health, well-being, body image and sexuality on-line, as well as bullying and posting hurtful or misleading comments.
Make you child aware of the dangers of sexting and inappropriate use of webcams. There are predators out there, and some so called friends that are not really friends, when they share compromising selfies.
Give your child control of their own budget to download apps/music, but equally it’s okay to agree boundaries so they manage their money responsibly.
Don’t give children access to your payment card or other financial details.
It is important to stay safe and stay at home, but it is also very important to stay safe on-line.
Thank you for your attention.
