COPS in Gibraltar have been handed a 30 per cent funding boost as officers prepare to tackle new law enforcement challenges arising from the Rock’s post-Brexit treaty with Spain.
The Royal Gibraltar Police’s annual budget has risen to £22.9 million for the 2026-27 period – an increase of around £5.3 million compared with the previous cycle.
Peter Montegriffo, chair of the Gibraltar Police Authority, revealed the boost in his foreword to the RGP’s 2026-27 Policing Plan.
“Last year I highlighted that one of our principal priorities was to help secure for the RGP those additional resources necessary to tackle the law enforcement challenges Gibraltar would face in a post-EU treaty world,” he wrote.
“We were, therefore, delighted with the RGP’s budget for the year 2026-26.
“This has increased by approximately 30% over the previous year and now stands at £22.9 million.
“Furthermore, greater capital expenditure has become available, in particular to ensure the RGP has the required physical assets to deal with EU treaty obligations.
“The number of officers and support staff will also grow, significantly adding to the capacity to keep Gibraltar, its citizens and visitors safe.”
The additional funding comes as Gibraltar enters the final year of its current policing plan and adjusts to the new demands created by the post-Brexit treaty, implemented provisionally on July 15 earlier this year.
Montegriffo said there had been ‘extraordinary developments and progress’ over the past year, with tye implementation of the treaty and the period afterwards having been ‘exceptionally well policed’.
He said this demonstrated ‘very positive management’ of the RGP’s new environment, while warning that the force would need to remain alert to the challenges ahead.
New CCTV and facial recognition technology will form part of the new investment.
The force will also place renewed emphasis on vulnerabilities linked to organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.
The Police Authority is also continuing to work on reforms to the way the RGP is governed, with changes expected to include reforms arising from recommendations of the McGrail Inquiry.
Unlike previous policing plans, this year’s document does not contain crime statistics.
Montegriffo said the decision was made because the plan is intended to be forward-looking rather than a review of the previous policing year.
Crime statistics will instead be published in the RGP’s annual report.
Police in Gibraltar have been forced to remain on their toes since the post-Brexit treaty came into force in July.
In late July, three men were arrested in Europort, the Rock’s commercial dock area, and found to be lacking any of the paperwork needed to be in Gibraltar legally.
READ MORE: Gibraltar makes first arrests for entering the Rock illegally since border opened up
Louai Bakhoul, 23, an Algerian national, and Moroccan nationals Oussama El Bradi, 31, and Aymen Fatmi, 30, were arrested and charged with ‘being a non-Gibraltarian found in Gibraltar without a valid permit or certificate’.
In early September, a Gibraltar teenager was arrested on suspicion of ferrying migrants from Ceuta in a speedboat in an incident that sparked a brief diplomatic row with Spain.
The 19-year-old was arrested after a dramatic pursuit by the Guardia Civil in Spanish waters ended with a suspected migrant-smuggling vessel entering Gibraltar’s port.
The youngster was arrested by the RGP on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration.
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