THREE men have been arrested in Europort, Gibraltar’s commercial dock area on the western side of the Rock, after being caught with bolt-cutters allegedly targeting parked bicycles.

Louai Bahkoul, 23, an Algerian national, and Moroccan nationals Oussama El Bradi, 31, and Aymen Fatmi, 30, were arrested on the evening of July 30.

Off-duty RGP and HM Customs officers had spotted the men carrying bolt-cutters near the docks and challenged them, before calling in uniformed colleagues to make the arrest.

READ MORE: Gibraltar airport eyes four million people catchment zone and battles Malaga for Costa del Sol passengers and routes

Police enquiries found that none of the three held any of the paperwork needed to be in Gibraltar legally.

Each has been charged with ‘being a non-Gibraltarian found in Gibraltar without a valid permit or certificate’ – the standard immigration offence used against anyone from outside the EU and UK who needs a visa to be there and cannot produce one.

They have also each been charged with ‘going equipped for theft’, which covers being caught with tools for a crime rather than the crime itself.

READ MORE: Spanish tradesmen threatened with €3,500 fines for crossing into Gibraltar to work without correct permits

It is the first time anyone has been charged under Gibraltar’s immigration laws since the land border with Spain scrapped its routine checks on July 15, the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) confirmed to The Olive Press.

However, they declined to confirm how the three men had entered Gibraltar or their immigration status as ‘the matter is currently the subject of judicial proceedings’.

Gibraltar’s land frontier with Spain stopped passport checks at the physical crossing point on July 15, when the new UK-EU treaty came into force.

Routine document checks now happen only at Gibraltar’s airport, where Spanish and Gibraltar officers work side by side.

It means anyone crossing on foot or by car at the frontier with La Linea, the Spanish border town on Gibraltar’s doorstep, is no longer stopped or asked for identification.

READ MORE: Three Spanish nationals arrested in brawl at Gibraltar outdoor swimming pool

A police spokesman told The Olive Press the immigration offence itself is nothing new, and has always applied to any visa-requiring, non-EU national found on the Rock without the right paperwork, regardless of the treaty.

Click here to read more Gibraltar News from The Olive Press.