Keith Pritchard joins the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section to find out how successful their Fast Interception Craft have been.

Gibraltar may be a small place, but an awful lot goes on here," were the parting words of Chief Inspector Emilio Porro as he closed the door signed `Special Branch' firmly behind us as we left the offices of the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) headquarters just off Main Street.

He was right; a lot does go on there, if the hubbub coming from various ante-chambers, the ringing of telephones, mumbled messages, and the wailing of sirens infiltrating from the street outside were anything to go by. Despite all the commotion though, Gibraltar's long-serving Commissioner of Police, Joe Canepa, had still found time to talk to me about the celebrated, drug-busting activities of his Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section (RGPMS). By coincidence he had been inter­viewed by Sky Television the day before and ITN had apparently been trying to arrange an interview even as we spoke. Clearly Commissioner Canepa had suddenly become as popular with the media as he now seems to be with a great many Gibraltarians among whom he is held in high esteem for his success in virtually eliminating the menace of harmful narcotics from in and around the Rock.

The three and a half-mile-long (6km), almost 1400ft (426m) high, lump of Jurassic limestone that is the Rock of Gibraltar lies off the coast of southern Spain on the eastern edge of the bay of Algeciras. It takes the form of a peninsula separated from the mainland by a sandy isthmus across which Gibraltar airport now runs.

One can now pass across the runway and through the frontier into Spain to the north on foot or by vehicle. At the southernmost tip of the territory the mountains of Morocco are usually visible, twelve miles away across the sea.

Gibraltar is a British colony and a member of the European Union. It has its own government that makes laws with respect to taxation and local matters. Foreign and defence policy is determined by the UK Foreign Office represented by a resident governor. Gibraltar's laws are based on Ordinances passed by the local House of Assembly. Spain actively disputes Britain's right to the territory at political level and claims the four square miles as her own. English is the official language in Gibraltar and is used in educational establishments and public life. Much of the 25,000 or so native Gibraltarian population is bilingual. Spanish, often intermixed with English, is generally spoken in everyday situations.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 and became a Crown Colony in 1830. The Royal Gibraltar Police was established in the same year. Construction of the Royal Navy Dockyard commenced there in 1894. It remained in use until 1984 when the site was privatised. The emphasis in Gibraltar today is on offshore finance and tourism rather than military support services. The UK Gibraltar Tourism Association and the local authority are now keen to develop marine related ventures and development.

It is precisely because of Gibraltar's position, at this `crossroads of continents', and its convenience as a port of call, that the territory needs to maintain a strong water-borne police presence. The roots of today's RGPMS can be traced back to immediately after the Second World War, when in 1947 the navy dockyard police operated a marine unit. Since then two separate water-borne police `forces' have existed in Gibraltar, working side by side. The Royal Gibraltar Services Police continue to operate, covering the docks and port. Responsibility for all other waters around the eight mile long Gibraltar coastline, within the twelve-mile British Territorial Waters limit, and the seas up to half-way across the bay to Spain, now rests with the civil agency the RGPMS. The two forces have overlapping responsibil­ity in some areas and work together where necessary.

The RGPMS's Commissioner Joe Canepa and the man in direct charge of the Marine Section, Sgt. Richard Bosano, point out that at operational level their force enjoys an excellent relation­ship with police in Spain and Morocco. The Commissioner explained that RGPMS adheres to the standard maxims of British policing: to protect life and property, to prevent crime and to detect crime where it is committed. The specific tasks of the Marine Section include: preventing drug and tobacco smuggling; preventing illegal immigration; helping to enforce fisheries and environmental regulations; safeguarding safety at sea; performing beach patrol duties and undertaking marine rescue.

Drug trafficking has been a major problem in the Gibraltar area for many years. An estimated 350,000 tons of raw cannabis is produced annually in Morocco. Much of this is turned into resin, smuggled across the Straits of Gibraltar to Spain, and surrepti­tiously transported overland into mainland Europe. "Our biggest role recently has been preventing boats from being based in Gibraltar and then used for running drugs from Morocco to Spain. The drugs did not enter Gibraltar, but the drug smugglers' boats did. Boats based in Gib were being used for running drugs from Morocco to Spain. Our difficulty was that the boats were entering and leaving Gibraltar perfectly legally, empty, and clean. Our hands were effectively tied and all we could then do was to pass intelligence on to our colleagues in Spain and Morocco. Something had to be done," explained the Commissioner.

Gibraltar's image had become badly tarnished. People had begun to perceive it as a centre from where drug smuggling operations were footed.

In July 1995 Gibraltar hit back at the drug cartels. A new law was suddenly introduced which forbade the importation or ownership of any rigid inflatable boat in the colony without a permit. These would only be granted for craft that comply with tough new conditions limiting speed and use and for those with registered berths. The RGPMS, assisted by the Gibraltar Services Police and the customs were therefore suddenly charged with the job of checking boats entering and leaving the territory. "Within twenty-four hours of this law coming out we were able to neutralise the situation by seizing over sixty non-compliant, semi ­rigid vessels!" said the Commis­sioner. So shocked was the criminal fraternity that they incited riots and damaged police property in revenge.

They then organised a protest march demanding the immediate return of their boats that were then being processed by customs. Seventy-four people were arrested, and working together, the two services successfully managed to contain the situation. No one anticipated that a few days later there would be a further demonstration. This one was however, organised by the law-abiding public, who pleading "Ban The Launches Now", insisted that the legislation be extended - to include all other forms of small fast craft! It has been suggested that up to 10,000 people marched up Main Street in Gibraltar City in support of the RGP, who were given a standing ovation for their vigilance.

Thanks to the new rules and subsequent amendments, the use of Gibraltar based boats used in drug running was virtually eliminated overnight. The RGP remain far from complacent though. Senior officers are determined that their staff should have the best possible resources on hand to do the job. The RGPMS currently employs sixteen men in four watches, of which at least one team is always on standby. The Marine Section officers all volunteered to join the section after having served as regular policemen. "The lads are primarily police officers although most have another trade as well, whether it be as a mechanic, electrician, or whatever," com­mented Sgt. Bosano, at 42, the eldest man on the Section. "Each watch has a qualified coxswain who is trained in navigation and safety at sea. He will also have had special instruction in handling our Fast Interception Vessels that are capable of speeds up to 70 knots.

"Our aim is to get everyone trained up to that standard. We are also responsible for all our own maintenance on the boats and have a resident mechanic to avoid any possibility of sabotage."

Coxswain Mark Zammit showed me around the Marine Section's premises and pontoons which are located at Coaling Island where steamers once came to refuel. Before us lie a flotilla of small service craft that would be the envy of any police marine unit. PC Zammit also proudly pointed out several dozen other motor boats of varying shapes and sizes, all of which the police had impounded during the course of their work.

The boats that attract most attention in the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section fleet are three 9.5m (31 ft) Flatacraft Enforcer RIBS. These super RIBS feature GRP deep-V hulls moulded by Hunton Powerboats. Known by the officers as Fast Interception Vessels, the boats were fitted out in the UK for use in Gibraltar, the prerequisites being that they should be safe, fast and have excellent maneuverability. The Flatacraft get a lot of heavy use at high speed around Gib and have been found to run most reliably on twin 250hp Mariners. Evinrude 300's have also been tried. These boats can achieve a top speed of around 70 knots. They have the potential to outrun almost any other boat that is likely to be in the vicinity - in virtually any weather! The RIBs are usually manned by a crew of three.

Flatacraft Managing Director, Tony Lee-Elliot explained how one of the RIBS slightly differs from the other two. "After the first two Enforcer RIBS had been tried in Gibraltar it became clear that in calm conditions an exceptionally fast boat, with a half a mile or so head start, could sometimes eventually break away from the RIB whilst under chase and escape into international waters. The solution was to provide a third, even faster RIB with a slimmer entry for'ard, a slightly more raked console. Its overall profile is about 2ft (0.6m) lower than on the other boats."

As on the launches the officers aboard the Fast Interception Vessels have two communication systems available: marine VHF and secure police/military radios, used for keeping in touch with HQ and contacting the military when required. Marine Section officers spend considerable amounts of time in pursuit of suspicious small craft in these RIBS and they are able to carry out a chase in winds up to force eight. Mark Zammit ex­plained their tactics: "Our first task on a chase is to try and identify the boat we are interested in. We also need to know who the occupants are, either as individuals if we have come across them before, or at least discover their race. This isn't always easy if they're wearing balaclavas! We then run our boat close alongside theirs and try to get them to stop. If they are carrying drugs they obviously won't unless they are forced to do so, so we stay with them until they realise we have the greater capability and there is nowhere they can go. If they head for Spanish or Moroccan waters, we radio ahead and alert the police there so that they can take up the chase. Once we have got a suspicious boat to stop, we then search it and arrest or release the occupants. We can arrest the crew immediately if anyone tries to jettison anything, as that in itself is an offence in our waters.

If they do throw anything overboard where the water is not too deep we can send down divers to retrieve anything that might be useful as evidence. We do not carry firearms unless we have received information to suggest that those who we will be challenging are."

RGPMS officers also have other craft at their disposal. The first fast boat the Section possessed was a 26ft Jeanneau speedboat fitted with twin 135HP Mercurys. It is still used for beach patrol work. The Marine Section also has a further 'sportsboat', a 24ft (7.31 m) Mirage powered by a single 225hp Yamaha outboard: the boat came their way courtesy of criminals from whom it was officially requisitioned!

I asked Mark Zammit what makes a good Marine Section officer. "You must like the sea and have a `sea mentality'," he replied. "The safety of your crew and anyone you may be pursuing must always remain top priority. To do this you must fully understand the capability of your own vessel and be able to quickly assess the capability of any boat and its crew you might be sent out after."

Despite the RGP's success in limiting the drug problem at Gibraltar over recent years, Sgt. Bosano remains realistic about the fact that smuggling still goes on in the Straits. "We can never hope to stop all drug trafficking in the waters around Gibraltar. Some will inevitably get by," he admits. "All I ask of the guys is that their commitment is there and that when we hear that something does get through they get angry."

The top-spec RIB fleet available to the Royal Gibraltar Police Marine Section officers is clearly crucial to their ability to triumph in their many and various tasks. The Flatacraft Fast Intercep­tion Vessels also have the advantage of being marvellous for the men's morale. Whilst this impressive range of resources might at first seem excessive for such a small force, one should remember that the RGP's success in slowing the flow of drugs across the Straits of Gibraltar has far reaching results and is reflected in lower rates of addiction throughout Europe.

Keith Pritchard

Builder
FLATACRAFT LTD
1183 Melton Road,
Syston,
Leicester LE7 21T

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