Spain tries to blame Gibraltar for tanker crisis

The Spanish foreign ministry has started a campaign which seeks to blame Gibraltar for the tanker that went aground off the Galician coast.

And the EU transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio (the foreign minister's sister) has quickly questioned if the British government carried out the required inspections of the tanker, the Prestige, when it docked in Gibraltar before its latest oil cargo route from Latvia.

REGULAR TRIPS

The tanker makes regular trips between Gibraltar and Latvia, and was on its way back to Gibraltar, full of oil, when it sprang a leak on Wednesday, said EU sources.

Under new rules, port authorities have to check 25 per cent of all ships coming into dock. It is part of a tougher policy by the EU.

COMPLAINT

Spanish foreign ministry official Ramon de Miguel, who has been involved in the Anglo-Spanish deal, urged the EU Commission to make Britain apply EU norms also in Gibraltar to avoid cases like that of the 'Prestige'.

Spain was suffering the consequences of Britain's non-compliance, he claimed.

He linked the problem with the 'conflict between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar."

The same norms as those applied to the rest of the community should be applied at Gibraltar, he said, because Gibraltar is part of the internal single market. He linked this latest episode with what he claimed as being regular oil spills in Algeciras bay. He also accused Gibraltar of unfair competition.

Meanwhile, the Government has issued the following Statement: 

The attempt by the EU Transport Commissioner's office to link Gibraltar with the MV Prestige, (which is aground off Northern Spain with a cargo of oil that is now spilling into the sea), is quite incredible and represents a grave abuse' by that office. The EU Transport Commissioner is, of course, Spaniard Loyola de Palacio, sister of Spanish Foreign Minister Ana de Palacio.

The MV Prestige is not registered in Gibraltar, it is registered in the Bahamas, It is owned by a Greek Company, not by any company in Gibraltar. The vessel has only ever been to Gibraltar once in the last four years, for a six hour bunkering call in June this year, during which, she did not even enter the port. This has not prevented the EU Transport Commission from saying that the vessel frequently carries out "the Latvia to Gibraltar" run, reloading at Gibraltar. This is wholly false.

It is not even true, as the EU and Spanish sources have suggested that, on this fateful voyage, the vessel was heading to Gibraltar. No port call at Gibraltar has been scheduled. It appears that the vessel was heading from Latvia to the Far East.

Despite all of this, Spanish sources, and an EU Commission office headed by a Spanish Commissioner, have disgracefully tried to impute blame upon Gibraltar.

The world at large should regard this as an example of the dishonest lengths to which some in Spain. and their allies elsewhere, will go to discredit Gibraltar for their own political objectives.

Gibraltar complies fully with all international and EU obligations governing routine port inspections of visiting vessels, for example under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding for Port State Control Inspectors.

Responsibility for the regular surveys of vessels and ensuring compliance with all relevant international regulations lies with the flag state and relevant classification societies, or with the port authorities in those European Ports regularly visited by this vessel. In the case of the "Prestige" these responsibilities are clearly not for the Gibraltar authorities which are not the flag state and which have received only one visit by this vessel In four years.

The Gibraltar Government roundly condemns the false and irresponsible statement by the European Transport Commissioners office, and calls upon them to withdraw and rectify their public statement.

Dogs law: Too slow, says Opposition

The Opposition condemns the Government for the long time it is taking them to bring Dangerous Dogs legislation to the House of Assembly. This follows a new incident involving an attack by a pit bull terrier on another dog at Eastern Beach.

The Opposition first drew attention to this issue as far back as February of this year. Indeed, the Opposition provided a draft Bill for an Ordinance to incorporate the Dangerous Dogs Act of the United Kingdom into Gibraltar law. This was presented to the Gibraltar Parliament by Dr Valarino earlier this year and it was voted down by the Government and prevented from starting the process towards becoming a law. At the time, Minister Ernest Britto explained that the Government was working on its own law and that this would see the light of day in due course.

It is deplorable that the Government have still not acted on this issue after such a long time. Indeed, the House of Assembly meets this Monday with no less than twelve different Bills on the agenda and it is disgraceful that Mr Britto appears to give so little importance to this issue. There is a serious risk of an attack by one of these dogs on a child or a person and this makes the Governments unwillingness to act totally incomprehensible.

In order to keep up the pressure on the Government at the last question-time in the House of Assembly last month, Dr Valarino asked Mr Britto when the Government intended to being Dangerous Dogs legislation to the House. Mr Britto replied that the Government had not yet decided whether it will bring the legislation to the House or whether this would be enacted as regulations. He added that the law was drafted and a consultation document was being finalised. Mr Britto also said that the legisation would be enacted following this process of consultation.

The Opposition maintains that the Government has been far too slow to react to this issue, and in the meantime incidents involving dangerous dogs continue to take place. The flippant and dismissive attitude which the Government displayed when the Opposition presented its own law on the matter suggests that Mr Britto's main interest lies in taking the credit for the measure as opposed to the safety and well-being of the general public.

Law has now been drafted, says Govt

A Government statement last night said that, as announced by the Minister Ernest Britto in the House of Assembly last month, the Dangerous Dogs legislation has now been drafted and a consultation paper was being finalised. This consultation paper, together with the draft law, is being circulated to interested parties this month and the government will then meet for final discussion before the legislation is enacted. These interested parties include the GSPCA, the kennel club, the women's association and the veterinary clinic.

An announcement will shortly be made to explain how members of the public may obtain a copy of the consultation paper and the draft legislation, as well as where and to whom they will be able to make representations and express opinions," said the statement. 

Storm brewing over exclusion of Gibraltar’s Euro-vote in Queen’s speech

Talk of the Town

PANORAMA was first with the news yesterday - that a bill for the enfranchisement of Gibraltar regarding elections to the European Parliament had not been mentioned in the Queen’s speech to parliament. 

It was widely thought, in Gibraltar and the UK, that reference would be made to this question, so there has been much surprise that Gibraltar did not obtain a slot in the speech delivered by the Queen and written by the British Government.

As we reported yesterday, the omission does not mean that it is impossible for legislation to be brought forward during the next session, but this is a matter of political and practical urgency - and a mention is what was due.

A Foreign Office spokes-woman told us: “We hope that a bill will be brought before parliament, but we cannot confirm that it will be in the next parliamentary session.”

Questions are therefore being asked why the reference to the bill was excluded. It is naive for he ILF to suggest that it “was probably an oversight” - oversights do not occur in important matters of state, especially a matter that was due to be mentioned as everyone expected.

MEPs are saying that it is essential to pass legislation quickly, because political parties in the UK are already choosing candidates for the next European elections in 2004 and Gibraltarians should be able to take part in the selection process.

Certainly this is not a matter that can be left for the last moment. 

There are practical considerations, too, such as the preparation that will need to take place long before the elections.

UK ministers have pledged that Gibraltar will vote in 2004 - and the sooner there is absolute evidence of this, the better it will be for all concerned.

Questions need to be asked why this further delay? 

As we went to press, both the Government and the Opposition had remained silent. But that is not good enough. The people need to know. NOW!

Tactic or oversight? 

Reacting the to the news in yesterday’s PANORAMA, the ILF expressed “concern but not alarm” at the contents of the Queen’s Speech in Parliament.

“Gibraltar’s enfranchisement for the next EU Election as part of a British voting area has long been agreed in principle and needs to be legislated soon. 

Nonetheless, we notice the issue was not specifically mentioned in the list of proposed legislation in the speech by the Monarch at the opening of Parliament.

This may be a UK Government tactic, but is probably just an oversight. If so, they need to be reminded of it and we trust that vigilant Gibraltarians right across the political spectrum will waste no time in doing so !” they said.

Further delay
would lead to complaints campaign

Reacting to the news in PANORAMA that a bill to give Gibraltarians a vote at the next European elections had not been included in the Queen’s Speech, Daniel Feetham, the leader of the Labour Party said: “Last year we obtained legal advice from specialist international lawyers in England on a number of issues impacting on our political rights as a people. During the course of that advice our lawyers raised the issue of the possibility of making multiple complaints to European Court of Human Rights based on the continued non-implementation of the Matthews judgment. They said that if we inundated the ECHR with over 10,000 complaints, which the court would be duty bound to consider individually, not only would it ensure the continued negation of our political rights was at the forefront of everyone’s mind but that the UK would not be able to continue to ignore this issue.”

  He adds: ” In the past we have said that if a Bill, is not presented in time for us to vote at the next European elections, we would commence a campaign inviting every Gibraltarian to submit a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. It is very simple to make a complaint and all that people would need to do is to give us a few details. We would then either fill out the form for them or show them how to do it.”

They have written to the new Minister for Europe informing him that it is important for the British Government to regain some of the trust it has lost from Gibraltarians and a first step would be the speedy enfranchisement of the people of Gibraltar. “ If we do not see concrete evidence of this by the end of the year our campaign will start and we ask every pressure group and political party to assist us in this,” said a party Press release.

Action on dangerous dogs!

“We endorse fully the statement by the Gibraltar Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals calling on the Government to act promptly on the implementation of a Dangerous Dogs Act” said the Deputy Chairwoman of the Labour Party Kim Karnani Santos.

“Without wishing to politicise this issue, the fact is that we first asked the Government to act on this in February of this year when a Pit Bull Terrier attacked and killed a pet cat. 

We have repeated the calls for action to be taken on at least five occasions since, mostly in response to further incidents including the mauling of an Ape shortly afterwards.

It will be recalled that the Government promised legislation to protect the public and it was with dismay that we issued a statement a few months ago pointing out that the Government had failed to introduce any legislation at the last sitting of the House of Assembly” she says.

A statement adds: There is genuine concern by people that it is only a matter of time before there is a serious incident, which we will all regret. 

It is, therefore, imperative that the Government acts on the public assurances it has given and introduce legislation as a matter of urgency. 

It is true that the introduction of the Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK was not without its problems and it has needed amending in order to protect the interests of responsible owners and some animals. The Government, however, has had enough time to consult and learn from the mistakes made in the UK. 

The time for action is now. 

That is a call I make, first and foremost, as a mother.

Unemployment UP

The Gibraltarian unemployment figures for September stand at 395, compared to 331 in July and 354 in August. The average monthly figure for the first nine months of 2002 is 344 compared to 328 for the same period in 2001.

Commenting on the figures, Employment Minister Hubert Corby said that a “significant increase in the unemployment figures for September occurs every year, as the labour market absorbs the summer’s school leavers and returning graduates.

The Employment Service and Job Club staff are available to assist persons seeking employment”.

With friends like Reffell who needs enemies?

The remark by former governor Sir Derek Reffell about joint sovereignty with Spain has come at a time when the people of Gibraltar have just voted overwhelmingly against such a concept. It shows lack of tact and sensitivity to the loyal people he once served.

Why he has chosen to make such an assertion at this point in time is as surprising as it is incredible.

It could be that he meets in circles, and has acquaintances, who promote such an idea.

Hopefully, it is not in the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society, where he is chairman.

If Reffell is supposed to be our friend, who are our enemies?

He was not regarded as a bad governor, but it could well be that, in private, he was urging a deal with Spain in the full knowledge that the Gibraltarians did not want it.

If that is the case, he is now in the same league as those in the Foreign Office who have persevered a course of action knowing that people here did not want it.

His democratic credentials can now be questioned, as well as his inclinations.

As someone who has often written letters in support of Gibraltar, almost following on the pro-Gibraltar stance taken by his predecessor Sir William Jackson, it is unbelievable that he should now blacken his name in the face of Gibraltarian public opinion.

Something that Sir William never did. He was true to Gibraltar right to the end.

Many people in Gibraltar will now consider Sir Derek Refell to be anything but a friend, Is that what he wants?

The referendum is being praised by everyone. It drew a very high turnout. It resulted in 99% saying No to sharing sovereignty with Spain. It was the clearest expression of opinion in a democratic referendum.

And along comes Sir Derek and puts his foot in it.

Reactions to Reffell's remarks Isolated, says VOGG

The Voice of Gibraltar Group would like to inform Sir Derek Reffell how isolated and ignorant his opinion on joint sovereignty is. The Foreign Affairs select committee, 75% of the British Parliament, 91% of British public opinion, and most important of all, 99% of the affected people do not share his view.

For advocates of a new world order where the oppressor is rewarded is inconsistent with all international democratic values.

The insinuations made are tantamount to the Home Office implementing reward schemes to school yard bullies. The VOGG is completely astounded to hear this type of comments from a past Governor of Gibraltar. With "Friends" like this who add legitimacy to the Spanish claim who needs enemies at a crucial time like this.

Gibraltar well knows the consequences of rejecting Joint Sovereignty and will endure the democratic deficit condoned by the civilised world on the Gibraltar issue.

The VOGG would remind Sir Derek ReffeIl that last week electorate voted decisively on the subject of Joint Sovereignty. This was the opinion of an informed population, and not a simple emotional reaction. Although most of his comments about the situation, particularly the criticism of the UK Government attitude are appropriate, he does not live in

Gibraltar, his life and family are not affected by the shameful attempt of the Foreign office to sell out the future of Gibraltar and he should exercise caution in expressing views for which there is no support either locally, with the British Parliament, the British public and which themselves have no sound political basis.

Confused, says ILF

In a strongly-worded statement, the I.L.F. criticised the remarks of former Governor Sir Derek Reffell favouring joint sovereignty. ' Some of his earlier analysis was correct" said a Party spokesman, referring to the first part of the newspaper article in which Reffell made his comments.

"His description of the endless catalogue of British and Spanish errors leading up to the present situation is mostly true. However, when he goes on to say that joint sovereignty is a 'sensible solution' he's way off-course. In any event, his condition that 'the control of Spanish influence (would be)firmly in Spanish hands' is an unworkable fantasy."

The I.L.F. spokesman concluded by saying that Sir Derek Reffell was by no means the worst Governor Gibraltar ever had and did do some good for the place. However, his present contribution is somewhat confused, to say the least.

New building society not regulated in Gibraltar

The Leeds and Holbeck Building Society is opening a branch in Gibraltar, but it is not regulated by Gibraltar. It comes at a time of contraction in that sector.

"We should not lose sight of the fact that this means that the firm is operating in Gibraltar on the strength of its United Kingdom licence and that consequently it will be regulated by the Financial Services Authority in London and not the Financial Services Commission in Gibraltar" said Opposition spokesman on trade and industry Dr Joseph Garcia.

The Opposition considers that in this particular case it is clear that the building society has come to Gibraltar to compete for business against other established mortgage lenders and deposit takers to attract clients from Gibraltar.

While it will clearly be of interest to the consumer that there should be more choice when looking for a mortgage or depositing their savings, this does not bring in new business and will not necessarily lead to growth in the size of the market.

An Opposition statement said: "It needs to be made clear, however, that since the Leeds and Holbeck is not a Gibraltar licensed, registered and regulated entity it cannot take advantage of Gibraltar's position to passport into the rest of the European Union. Indeed, the reverse is the case. They have "passported" into Gibraltar on the strength of their United Kingdom licence as other building societies have done over the last ten years.'

WELCOME. BUT...

The Opposition says it supports the development of the finance centre and welcomes the setting up of new institutions here, but it is important not to get carried away.

The Government does not appear to have a strategy of marketing Gibraltar as a base for passporting into the single market in Europe. and therefore since the Leeds and Holbeck operation does not fall into this category, it is unlikely to produce much in the way of employment or significant increases in the overall level of bank deposits.

"Indeed, we should not forget the wider picture.

The Leeds and Holbeck has set up here at a time when Abbey National has closed down as a bank, handed back its license to the Gibraltar Government, and chosen to operate as a mere representative office, which is nothing more than a post box operation for funds and transactions outside Gibraltar," said the statement.

SCALING DOWN

At the last meeting of the House of Assembly in answer to questions from Dr Garcia, the Gibraltar Government confirmed that Abbey National had already contracted from 26 jobs to 19. and that more were expected to go as the rundown took effect.

The Government also told the House that Hispano Commerzbank had notified them in August of their intention to scale down their operations in Gibraltar as well.

"It is therefore important to place the opening of a branch by a new building society against the background of the departure of two banks, in order to get a fair picture of what is happening in the sector," said Dr Garcia.

The latest changes mean that there are still 19 institutions authorised under the Banking Ordinance 1992 for deposit taking business. This compares with 26 in 1996 when the GSD came into office.

The Opposition believes that there should be a concerted campaign to attract business to Gibraltar in order to make use of the passporting facilities into Europe that we can offer, which was the whole purpose behind the development of the industry in Gibraltar as a European banking hub.

SHOCK - as Gib Euro-vote left out

by Our London Correspondent

LONDON, Wednesday: A Bill to allow Gibraltarians to vote in the next European Parliament elections has failed to win a slot in the Queen's Speech - the government's programme for the next 12 months.

Now uncertainty surrounds ministers' plans to make good on their pledge to pass the legislation in time for the Europe-wide poll, in just two years' time.

It is widely thought that a law must be passed in the next parliamentary session, if the necessary preparations are to be made for Gibraltar's 18,000 voters.

The British government is forced to make the change after losing a European Court judgement brought by the Government of Gibraltar.

And the Electoral Commission is not due to start work on deciding which giant 'Euro-constituency' the Rock will attached to until the legislation is in place.

SURPRISE

But, surprisingly, there was no mention of Gibraltar's voters in the 19 Bills and three draft Bills outlined by the Queen in her annual address to parliament.

The omission does not mean it is impossible for legislation to be brought forward during the next session, which will last until next November.

The Queen's speech always includes the get-out that "other measures will be laid before you" - allowing the government to add other Bills at a later date.

There was also no mention of legislation required to allow Britain to join the single currency, although a "paving" Bill must be added if a referendum is to be held.

FOREIGN OFFICE

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the Lord Chancellor's department had already instructed the parliamentary council to draft the Bill to allow Gibraltarians to vote.

But she said: "We hope that a Bill will be brought before parliament, but we cannot confirm that it will be in the next parliamentary session.

"The Queen's Speech is not a comprehensive list of all the Bills for the next session, because others can be added at a later stage."

At least three Euro-constituencies - the south west, the west midlands and Northern Ireland - are locked in a fight to grab Gibraltar's voters.

Tory politicians know they will enjoy a surge in support, because Gibraltarians will be reluctant to support Labour following the agreement to share sovereignty with Spain.

Algeciras port fears unfair competition from Gibraltar by not implementing new port directive

Rock gets knocked - again

Algeciras port authorities have lost no time in attempting to knock the port of Gibraltar, fearing that a new EU port pollution directive will not be implemented on the Rock. “This would be unfair competition,” said spokesman.

Algeciras has already notified the Madrid government of their concerns about Gibraltar.

Under the EU directive, ships entering all EU ports will pay certain fees to allow for the better protection of the marine environment against pollution.

The new directive comes into force on 28 December.

It is believed that the fees can be on different scales, depending on frequency of calls, type of vessel etc.

The EU says that the directive “targets all ships, whatever their flags, including fishing vessels and recreational craft, putting in at a Member State port, apart from warships and ships belonging to or operated by a State for non-commercial governmental purposes.”

The directive states: "Member States must ensure that port collection facilities are provided which meet the needs of the ships using them without causing abnormal delays. These facilities must be tailored to the size of the port and to the categories of ship calling there.

"A waste reception and handling plan must be drawn up in each port. These plans must be checked and assessed by the Member States and approved by them at least every three years.

"Captains of ships (other than fishing boats and recreational craft authorised to carry no more than 12 passengers) bound for a Community port are required to notify certain information, in particular the date and the last port in which ship-generated waste was delivered and the quantity of waste remaining on board.

"Unless exempted, all ships are required to deliver their ship-generated waste before leaving a Community port, unless the captain can prove that his vessel has adequate storage capacity. Ships which do not deliver their waste without providing valid reasons for exemption are not allowed to leave the port until such delivery has taken place.

"Ports must establish cost recovery systems to encourage the delivery of waste on land and discourage dumping at sea. All ships calling at a Member State port will bear a significant part of the cost (which the Commission interprets as meaning at least 30%), whether they use the facilities or not. These cost recovery systems comprise a built-in, fixed element and, possibly, a variable element according to the amount and type of waste actually delivered.

"Ships may be inspected. Since not all ships can be checked, the choice of those to be inspected will focus mainly on ships which have not complied with the notification requirement and those suspected of not having delivered their waste.

"Where it is proven that a ship has put to sea without having delivered its waste and without benefiting from an exemption, the next port of call is alerted. The ship will not be authorised to load or unload its cargo nor to take on passengers without undergoing a detailed inspection in accordance with Directive 95/21/EC.

"The Directive provides for a series of accompanying measures. In particular, ships that have been unduly delayed owing to the inadequacy of reception facilities, while they themselves meet the requirements to which they are subject, must receive compensation."

Crime wave hits Rock

When an armed robbery takes place, people stand up and take notice. When smaller, but just as serious, robberies and burglaries take place, they makes less of an impact. But neither one nor the other should obscure the fact that crime has hit the Rock in a big way.

The crime wave engulfs a variety of offences.

There were 155 reports of burglaries in the year 2001/02 - a staggering 18% increase. Thirty-six have been cleared, say police.

The previous figure for burglaries reported was 127 - and 167 the period before that.

These are high figures for a small place like Gibraltar.

And these figures do not include burglaries in houses - 37 cases for the last period compared with 52 for the previous one.

The burglary detection rate has decreased, says police, and add: "This year shall see an increase in our allocation of time and resources towards tackling this issue austerely."

Only this week two persons appeared in court after being found in possession of a hammer and crowbar, allegedly trying to smash the rear door of a cine bank.

At least two bars in Irish Town have recently been broken into, and there has also been damage to property in the same area.

Juveniles are seen late at night loitering outside bars. It is extraordinary that this happens close to the Irish Town police station, as if the police is no deterrent.

Reports also reach us of groups of youngsters throwing bottles etc in Main Street and elsewhere late at night. It is as if they leave some place together and then go out to make mischief.

Clearly, there is a need for police patrols in the areas which are more targeted by would-be offenders.

Indeed, criminal damage has increased to 534 reports - with only 70 cleared, so it seems most offenders are simply getting away with it.

A new recording system has been introduced for thefts - and this shows as many as 710 reports last year.

Crime is at an unacceptably high figure. The police must reorganise itself to provide manpower where it is needed most, instead of wasting manpower in what can be described as minor chores. Gibraltar cannot be allowed to become a place where so much crime is already being committed, and where people are going to end up being afraid to walk the streets at night.

Party condemns assault on Gib youth, “but don’t inflame situation”

The Labour Party says it “condemns and deplores” the incidents involving a handful of agitators across the border. 

Gibraltarians have every right to the full protection of Spanish law when visiting Spain “and we call upon the Spanish authorities to clamp down on incidents of this nature.”

Daniel Guerrero, youth spokesman, adds that, at the same time, “we call upon local youth not to inflame the situation. 

We must view these incidents as isolated and not fall into the trap of retaliating through insults or otherwise against any Spanish national.” 

Gibraltar has the high moral ground. We must ensure that our campaign for recognition of our rights continues to be carried out peacefully and democratically through the power of persuasion and argument. 

Gibraltar believes in peaceful co-existence with our neighbours in the Campo Area and we must not under any circumstances allow the Spanish media to portray us as aggressors, says a press release.

Call for La Linea mayor to reassure Gibraltar residents

The Voice of Gibraltar Group says it condemns the violence perpetuated against Gibraltarians in La Linea over the week-end.

Whilst claiming to be a democratic society, a handful of ‘thugs’ across the border have been allowed to assault innocent people merely for having expressed their political will in a referendum.

The Group calls on the Mayor of La Linea to publicly assure the People of Gibraltar that such incidents will not be repeated and that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure their safety.

Politicians, such as Mr. Juarez, and certain sectors of the Spanish media, should take heed of the comments made by the Mayor of Los Barrios, Mr. Alonso Rojas, when referring to the good relationship between the People of Gibraltar and the 4000 Spanish nationals who daily come to work on the Rock. Neither do individuals help by holding court to the Spanish press and distorting the realities of life in Gibraltar. It is imperative that normal relations are resumed as soon as possible. Escalation will not benefit either of the communities.

Let these incidents be an eye-opener to the British Government. Their insistence in proceeding with the negotiations, knowing all too well that these are unacceptable in Gibraltar, has contributed, in large part, to the tense situation, where British Citizens are now at risk.

The Voice of Gibraltar Group respectfully urges everyone on the Rock to keep calm and not retaliate to any provocation. All incidents must be reported to the RGP and The Convent. 

Gibraltar is sitting at the top of the moral high-ground and must stay there.

Now, stop the talks... 

The Voice of Gibraltar and the Self-Determination for Gibraltar Group have called for the negotiating process to be halted forthwith.

In a statement headed ‘The People of Gibraltar have spoken’ they say: “We the undersigned, declare the validity of the referendum of the 7th of November 2002 as an indisputable political statement of the people of Gibraltar and as an expression of our rights of self-determination.

Now: 

We call on the British Government to:

1. declare that the negotiating process between the Untied Kingdom and Spain will cease forthwith and withdraw the statement made by the Foreign Secretary in the House of Commons on the 12th July 2002,

2. exercise their responsibility to the people of Gibraltar under the UN Charter and the Declaration of the Human Rights and engage our elected representatives in a Constitutional Conference with a view to the adoption of the new Constitution unanimously approved and passed by the Gibraltar Parliament on February 27th 2002.”

Special needs being ignored, says Steven Linares

The Opposition says it has received representations over the educational policy on special needs which is being implemented by the Government.

The Government has embarked on an inclusion policy in schools which means that children with Special Educational Needs are to be included in mainstream school life. This means that while the teacher is giving a lesson to the whole classroom, there should be a classroom aide in attendance to the child with a special need requirement. The form of assistance given by the aide could be both educational and physical, in the sense of explaining the lesson in more detail to the child or attending to any other of the child’s physical requirements.

However, the Opposition has received reports that this is not what is happening. The Minister for Education Bernard Linares has chosen to implement this policy without providing the resources necessary to make it work properly. There is a shortage of classroom aides and teachers in place to help children with special needs requirement in the new environment which mainstream schooling represents.

An Opposition statement by spokesman Steven Linares adds: There are cases where these children are not receiving the special care and attention that they deserve. Teachers and existing aides have to double up their work to look after their well-being. This means that other children in mainstream education are themselves also missing out since the time taken by teachers and aides to attend to special needs children means that others are not being taught at their pace.

There are currently only 16 full-time aides and 6 part-time aides to cater for the 86 special needs children involved in this programme. This also means that the classroom aides that were there to help teachers in other aspects of their school work and the Special Educational Needs programme are now assigned only to this new inclusion policy.

The Opposition considers that this state of affairs is deplorable, and as happened with the change of school hours, is another case of the Government putting the cart before the horse. An inclusion policy, which the Opposition supports, can only work if the necessary resources are provided to make it work. At present it is affecting the work of teachers, pupils, and the special needs children themselves.

"This sorry state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue and the Government must ensure that adequate resources are in place before they make a change of this magnitude," he said.

Christmas stamps today

The Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau will release today its Christmas issue. This year’s theme is Nativities.

In Gibraltar nativity displays are very popular and can be found in all churches and practically all houses during the Christmas season. The beautiful nativity displays depicted on the stamps are based on actual photographs taken in four local churches and two local cathedrals. They are a simple yet traditional representation of the Gospel Story and the tradition dates back to the early 13th Century.

The gutters on the stamp sheets depict a photograph of the Churches and Cathedrals from where the Nativity displays where photographed.

The set of stamps, gutter pairs, First Day Cover set and Presentation Pack will be priced at £2.23, £4.46, £2.53 and £2.58 respectively. Designer Anselmo Torres.

What Gibraltar needs: TLC

I hope that the UK Government has taken a constructive lesson from this and will abandon any puns for further talks with Spain about Joint sovereignty. The new Europe Minister, Dennis McShane, was reported as saying that Spain needs to treat Gibraltar with a little more TLC. This is true, but the same thing also applies to the British Government we will be re-emphasising this with Ministers,” said Paul Noon, general secretary of the Prospect union.

In a letter of congratulations to Michael Tampin of the local branch, he writes:

“I would like to congratulate all Prospect members involved in any way in the referendum on the successful outcome. By this I mean the meticulous and professional way in which the ballot was conducted as well as the result.

“The International Observers will be producing our report as soon as possible, but there is no doubt that the ballot was conducted to the highest democratic standards. Time after time In discussion with referendum officials, Presiding and Deputy Presiding Officers, Clerks, those involved in the count and others in an official capacity at every level I was struck by the scrupulously fair way in which they carried out their duties. I know that everybody In Gibraltar, Including referendum officials, have strong views on the issues but It was absolutely clear that in conducting the referendum the only motive was to make sure that every member of the electorate had the opportunity to express his or her democratic voice on 7 November 2002.

“This is against a background of the fact that there were those present in the international media who in particular might have used the slightest perceived irregularity to criticise the process or the outcome. No such opportunity was presented, which is an enormous audit to those involved. I believe that this also has been one of the reasons why the referendum had such a profound impact on UK and indeed International opinion.

Early Christmas concert

The CALPE SINGER’S will be giving their Christmas concert early this year, on the 28th November, as they have another concert with a different programme completely on the 13th December, of which more later.

Their “Music for Advent and Christmas” at the cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned on Thursday the 28th November will be made up of a series of pieces, some well-known, others not so well-known, some Christmassy, others less so, for example, the Elgar “Ave Verum”, a beautiful and simple hymn of the ones Elgar was an expert at producing, (even when he didn’t mean to!), and the Bruckner “Locus Iste” not all that well-known… no less wonderful music for all that, whilst a toe-tapping, nostalgic arrangement by Cortes of “Tres Villancicos”, again, not the best known of these, which he has chosen from three different parts of Spain, Cadiz, Zaragoza, and Castilla, has a truly festive air about it, especially the final one, which a solo soprano (Johanna Cortes), with a simple but effective recitativo, leads the way to the final rousing chorus, ending in a lovely soft chord from the choir.

And talking of soloists, where Johanna Cortes takes the brunt of the workas she will also be singing the extremely demanding “Alleluya” by Mozart, and other bits and pieces, (including that impossible-to-omit piece O Holy Night), we shall have the pleasure of bearing Eric Ellul, who has been a regular Christmas guest guitarist of the Singers for many years, as well as Anne Pizzarello on flute, and the highly professional Altenberg grass ensemble, led by Juan de Dios Candil, (again, his presence at the Singers’ Christmas concerts go back over twelve years). To sum up, a very pre-festive season programme, with plenty of the Christmas spirit in it.

Programmes are available at Hoare’s Sports Shop in Main Street, price £6.00 and also at the door before the performance on the 28th.

Don’t miss it! Get into the festive mood at the Cathedral on the 28th.

Message to dancers

The Minister for Education & Culture, Dr. Bernard Linares, has sent the following message to the members of the Gibraltar National Dance Team who are presently in Riesa, Germany, where they will be representing Gibraltar at the World Dance Show Championships: “On behalf of the people of Gibraltar, I would like to wish you every success in your participation at the World Dance Show Championships in Riesa.

I am well aware of the very intense and continuous efforts that all dancers have put in during the last few months in both training and rehearsals for this international event. I am, therefore, confident that all your hard work and dedication will be well rewarded.”

Motion calls on Britain to stop talks on sovereignty

Opposition leader Joe Bossano has given notice of a motion for next Monday's House of Assembly meeting, which seeks to thank the people of Gibraltar for the magnificent referendum result and also to urge Britain to discontinue any sovereignty negotiations.

The almost unanimous view expressed by the electorate against sharing sovereignty with Spain is now being taken a step further.

The British government is being urged to take heed of the voice of the people, discontinue any further sovereignty negotiations with Spain and rescind the broad agreement in principle announced by foreign secretary Jack Straw on 12 July.

It is the logical development following such a massive rejection of the planned Anglo-Spanish deal.

London cannot ignore such a manifestation of what people do not want, but it remains to be seen if they will take note or if they will want to make a mockery of the commitment in the Gibraltar constitution, to the effect that there cannot be any arrangements to transfer sovereignty against the freely and democratically expressed wishes of the people.

Since this is what has just happened, the obvious development is for London to recognise the reality of the situation, although Madrid is likely to want Britain to ignore the wishes of the people, which is a strange way for democrats to behave.

WELCOME

The motion "warmly welcomes" the magnificent result and expresses "profound gratitude" to the people for the high turnout and the clear expression of unity.

It considers that the people have clearly spoken on the question of sovereignty, supporting the views expressed in the House of Assembly previously.

The motion

o Mr Joe Bossano has given notice that he proposes to move the following motion at the adjourned meeting of the House of Assembly: This House

(1) Warmly welcomes the magnificent result of the referendum in which almost 99% of the people voting rejected the principle of sharing sovereignty with Spain, as the House unanimously recommended on 18th October2002.

(2) Hereby expresses its profound gratitude to the people of Gibraltar for the high turnout and the clear expression of unity.

(3) Considers that the people have clearly spoken to Her Majesty's Government in the democratic expression of their wishes on the question of sovereignty, thus supporting the views previously expressed by resolution of this House, the Parliament of Gibraltar.

(4) Calls upon Her Majesty's Government to take heed of the voice of the people, discontinue any further sovereignty negotiations with Spain and rescind the broad agreement in principle on the sharing of sovereignty announced by the Foreign Secretary on 12th July 2002".

Attacks make La Linea a danger area for Gibraltar visitors

La Linea has become a danger area for residents of Gibraltar in the wake of the referendum. People going there are being attacked.

A number of incidents have already been reported: A large number of linenses attacking Gibraltar youth, couples being molested and property being damaged.

When a group of Gibraltar youths were returning to Gibraltar in the early hours of Sunday morning after enjoying a night out in La Linea they were set upon by a group of 10 to 15 Spaniards.

In the area of the Tropicana Bar a fight broke out and the locals had to make a run towards the border, said the RGP.

TRUNCHEONS

Four of the Gibraltarians were placed inside a police van, with the use of truncheons, after the group had been stopped by the La Linea municipal police.

Two of them sustained minor injuries. They supplied the Spanish police with statements and were later allowed to leave.

The commotion was such that people started congregating on this side of the frontier. Insults were being hurled across the way People had to be moved on by the RGP.

Thee are reports of local couples being molested while in La Linea, and other reports speak of motorcycle tyres being slashed and cars being scratched.

It is said that there are groups of people in La Linea who appear to be on the look-out for Gibraltar people and property, mainly at night.

The fact that the people of Gibraltar have democratically decided what they want cannot be taken in by some in La Linea, and indeed, elsewhere in Spain.

NOT UNDERSTOOD

It is as if Gibraltarians have to say that they wish to be Spanish even if they wish to remain being what they are. Many in Spain interpret the referendum result as being anti-Spanish, which it is not, in the sense that if the people of Gibraltar were asked if they wanted to be French or what-have-you, they would also say No.


Spaniards refuse to face the reality of the situation, which is that the Gibraltarians are a people in their own right - and it is as unreasonable as it is insulting to keep asking if you want to be Spanish or want Gibraltar to be Spanish, as the planned sovereignty deal envisages.

The mayor of Los Barrios Sr Alonso Rojas says he does not agree that relations could deteriorate, and points out to the thousands of Spaniards who come to Gibraltar to work etc without problems and the fact that a large contingent of Spanish media were here to cover the referendum without any incidents.

That is the case. It is not the Spanish in Gibraltar who are subject to abuse, but Gibraltarians visiting Spain...

Masked man in £25,000 armed robbery

It was just after sunset at Marina Bay on Sunday when a masked man carrying a handgun suddenly entered the offices of the supervisor at the Tesco/Checkout supermarket there. Hand over the money, he demanded. There were about £25,000 in assorted notes in the safe, presumably the weekend's takings.

The store had closed earlier. There was no one else there, except the lone supervisor.

He was hit over the back of his head with a blunt instrument, said police, believed to have been the butt of the handgun. He was forced to open the safe. The assailant made off with the money.

The supervisor ended with a gash at the back of his head and received 18 stitches.

The store being close to a yacht marina, it could be that the attacker fled by boat. Or he could be someone still in Gibraltar. On Sunday, the police say they "immediately deployed officers to cover exit points," such as the frontier and the air terminal.

Someone with £25,000 in a bag would possibly not go to the airport to wait before catching a plane; not would be possibly think of crossing a frontier where he could be searched.

The CID are working on the case, and have asked for witnesses.

The store closed at 6pm and the robbery took place half an hour later. The police would like to know from persons in the store just before closing time if they saw anyone about, in the store or outside the store.

Health and safety at the Upper Rock sites

The site officer at the Moorish Castle has no toilet facilities!

This is one of the isues raised by the TGWD regarding their members’ grievances on health, sanitary and safety matters in the Upper rock.

Last 29th of May “we submitted a list of grievances agreed by the members, in which matters of health, safety and sanitary conditions were also highlighted” a press release of the TGWU says, adding “we have been patiently awaiting a response and action taken on the different issues of great concern to our members, for over five months.

On labour related matters we submitted different claims, to compensate for the duties and responsibi-lities of our members at the different sites.Our members have incessantly been complaining to manage-ment on the bad conditions they have to carry out their work” says the Union.

All sites are in need of painting and refurbish-ment. 

There a lack of furniture and electrical appliances.

Furthermore, Great Siege Tunnels site has a badly sited office and lacks public toilets; CUS/MHC site lacks running water and the guard has to ferry containers from other sites.

The Moorish Castle lacks toilets and features badly sited barriers and windows, together with ‘prehistoric’ use of mirrors for controlling traffic from within. 

Finally the Cable Car has totally inadequate facilities for site officers as the tickets office belongs to Blands.

The Factory Inspector carried out a health and safety report last 22nd of May that “for obvious reasons has not been available to staff” said the TGWU yesterday.

Agreement was reached whereby there should be two officers per site and management has not adhered this to, they claim.

There is a growing discontent amongst our members with the current situation, and the TGWU has decided that unless these issues are addressed with the urgency needed, it will be left with no other alternative but to reserve its rights to implement whatever action is deemed necessary, in pursuant of the legitimate rights of their members.

CONGRATULATIONS 

say Lib Dems 

The Leader of the Liberal Party Dr Joseph Garcia has received a statement of congratulations for the people of Gibraltar from the Chairman of the South East Region of the British Liberal Democrats Philip Goldenberg.

In his statement, Mr Goldenberg says that South East England Liberal Democrats congratulate all Gibraltarians on the result of the referendum.

He adds that the Anglo-Spanish talks as at present constituted should now be ended, and calls upon the British Government to speedily implement its promise to enfranchise the people of Gibraltar for the next European Parliament elections.

Also enthusiastically supporting Gibraltar in a similar statement, was Mr Peter Billenness, the Vice President of the British Group of Liberal International. Mr Billenness says that the “British Labour Government has to take account not only of the 17900 Gibraltarian voters but also of the half a million British people of all political parties who in the run up to the referendum registered their support in favour of Gibraltar.” 

It will be recalled that Mr Billenness was the Chairman of a fringe meeting on Gibraltar that took place at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton in September this year.

Dr Joseph Garcia said he was “delighted with the messages of support for Gibraltar from the British Liberal Democrats and others which continued to come in.”

As Foreign Office loses Falkland Islands case Legal action if Gibraltar’s constitution reform is blocked 

The FCO has lost its appeal against a decision of the High Court of Justice in London against the refusal to provide a Falkland Island company with a fishing licence.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Common-wealth Affairs v. Quark Fishing Limited decided on the 30th October 2002 could be important in relation to possible legal action in the UK against any decision by the FCO to refuse to consider or even reject our proposals for constitutional reform. 

Legal observers believe that the main problem with challenging a rejection by the Foreign Minister of our proposals for constitutional reform is the fact that Foreign Office policy has traditionally been classed as part of the royal prerogative which cannot be challenged in courts. 

However ever since the seminal case involving GCHQ in the 1980s where Margaret Thatcher took a decision to outlaw trade unions at GCHQ on security grounds, the courts have been willing to undertake enquiries into whether it is appropriate to claim royal prerogative and substantial inroads have been made into the principle.

In this Falkland Island case, the FCO’s reliance on royal prerogative was rejected and it follows other decisions where the FCO has lost relating, for instance, to native Indians who had been ejected from the Indian Ocean Island of Diego Garcia.

The decision of the Court of Appeal in the Falkland Island case is also damning its assessment of the FCO handling of the case and paragraph 68 the Court said “For all these reasons, some of them alternative to others, I would dismiss this appeal. 

I feel cons-trained to add, and I do it with a sense of melan-choly, that while for my part I have found nothing to demonstrate bad faith on the part of the Secretary of State, the history of this case has demonstrated to my mind that the approach taken to the public decisions that had to be made fell unhappily short of the high standards of fairness and openness which is now routinely attained by British government departments”.

Daniel Feetham of the Labour Party who has been the main exponent of legal action if our proposals for constitutional reform are rejected said:”It’s an important decision. If we are truly serious about constitutional reform (either on the basis of the Select Committee proposals or any other proposals) we must be prepared to consider legal action as a route of final recourse. This decision and others provides that route of final recourse”.

New Ombudsman to be appointed

Mario Hook is to be the new Ombudsman, taking over from Henry Pinna who has done sterling work as Gibraltar’s first Ombudsman.

The Chief Minister has given notice that he purposes to move the following motion at the adjourned meeting of the House of Assembly next Monday:

“This House confirms the appointment by the Chief Minister, pursuant to Section 3(2) of the Public services Ombudsman Ordinance 1998, of Mr Mario Hook as the Ombudsman for public services for all the purposes of that Ordinance with effect from Wednesday 1st January 2003.

“This House resolves, pursuant to Section 4 of the Public Services Ombudsman Ordinance 1998, that a salary of £ 40,000 per annum be paid to the Ombudsman, with increases in accordance with the annual Civil Service Pay Award and that the additional sum of £ 125,000 be provided to the Ombudsman in respect of the expenses of his office, including the personal emoluments of staff and other operating expenses.

“This House congratulates and commends the retiring and first Ombudsman, Henry Pinna, for the effective manner in which he has conducted the duties of Ombudsman and has established the post since its creation in 1998.”

The 11,000 volts high voltage fault that led to blackout

On Sunday 10 November 2002 at 19.50hrs a massive disturbance to the electricity supply system occurred that led to the loss of all electricity supplies to Gibraltar including Waterport Power Station and OESCO Power Station.

At the time of the occurrence, the following plant was running

At Waterport Power Station no. 1 set rated at 5.2 MW

At OESCO Power Station nos. 2, 3, 4, and 6 sets with a total output of 14.5 MW

This totalled 19.7 MW which was equal to the demand at the time.

The massive disturbance tripped the Low Voltage supplies to the Waterport Power Station auxiliaries plant and whilst set no. I remained running mechanically, all power generation was lost and more seriously the plant was running without cooling water since as stated, there was no power to the auxiliary plant. Waterport Power Station only had emergency lighting and access to the High Voltage Switchboard was impossible at that stage since the electrical entry lock would not respond.

OESCO Power Station also suffered a similar fate. All their sets shutdown mechanically and electrically. A report on the details is awaited.

Protective relays at Waterport Power Station indicated that there had been a fault somewhere in the system.

The process of investigating where exactly the fault had occurred was initiated by the Engineering Staff. The process involves going to the distribution centres at Kings Bastion and Jumpers, assessing any indication on the protection relays, and disconnecting all the High Voltage Feeders to the substations.

By the time this had been done auxiliaries supplies had been restored to OESCO Power Station which linked up with the MOD Power Station which was able to feed them. Eventually, the interconnectors between Waterport Power Station and OESCO Power Station, which are linked at King’s Bastion Distribution Centre, were closed.

The loss of the supply to the 6.6KV network meant that there was no auxiliary power to operate the circuit breakers at Kings Bastion Distribution Centre. OESCO was required to feed the 6.6KV network so that auxiliaries at Kings Bastion Distribution Centre could be energised.

Waterport Power Station then started the process of running up the two available sets and preparing to take on load. The sequence of connecting feeders back to try and pinpoint the area of the fault was thus initiated. On closing the breaker to S26 Montagu substation the fault was evident as it tripped the circuit again. S26 Montagu is the first substation on the circuit that includes S1 Kings Bastion Substation. A check revealed that the 11,000 volts switchboard had suffered extensive damage.

The examination of the 11,000 volts switchboard revealed that the right hand side of the board including the bus-section breaker had been damaged. After isolating the damaged section, switching was carried out to supply the remnants of S1 Kings Bastion substation from S6 Line Wall Road substation.

The process of restoring supplies to the rest of the network was then established. By 22.55 hrs all supplies to consumers, excepting those fed from SI Kings Bastion Substation, were restored.

Supplies to consumers fed from S1 Kings Bastion substation were restored at 01.10hrs.

To put it into layman’s language, the fault was such that it “sucked” all the energy in the system. The energy dissipated was equivalent to some 400 in number F1 racing cars at full power crashing into our switchboard at the same time!

What Next?

By Joe Garcia

A span of 35 years has produced no significant gain to Spanish policy over Gibraltar. During their dictatorship, 0.36% of people in Gibraltar voted for Spanish sovereignty; during democracy, 1.03% have voted for shared sovereignty. At this rate of conversion, it would take over 4,000 years for Spain to obtain 99% of the votes.

Those born in 1967, were 35 years old for last week's referendum. A totally new generation. Those who voted for the first time in 1967, are now in their mid-fifties. The new and the old have taken a similar view: Rejection of absorption by Spain whether in full or in part.

Circumstances have changed: The 1967 referendum was held during a period of mounting Spanish restrictions against the Rock, culminating with the full frontier closure. There were some pundits who concluded at the time that the Gibraltarians were reacting to the Spanish restrictions. The present referendum has taken place after nearly 18 years of open frontier, albeit punctuated by spells of hostility from Spain. A closed or open frontier has made no impact on voting intentions.

VALID LESSONS

There are valid lessons to be drawn from the foregoing. But the initial official Spanish reaction evinces that no lessons are being learnt in Madrid. Their reaction, in dictatorship and in democracy. has been to rubbish the referendum to avoid addressing its outcome. It is clear that officialdom in Spain remains entrenched in a set of dogmatic concepts that is taking them nowhere.

So what next for Gibraltar?

In the same way that the 1967 referendum led to constitutional change in Gibraltar, the logical conclusion is that, sooner rather than later, the British Government will have to take full note of what Gibraltar wants.

Then, in private, and now, in public, the British position is to engage Spain in talks with a view to ironing out the differences that prevail

That is one thing, it would be another if Britain persisted with encompassing any further talks within, the strict parameters of the failed joint Sovereignty negotiations.

THE STATEMENT

The pronouncement made in London as soon as the count was over could have been attributed to an unnamed Foreign Office spokesman However, the new Europe minister Denis MacShane chose to put his name to it. Does this signal a desire to hopefully opening doors or to effectively keeping them shut?

Mr MacShane's statement is imbued in Foreign Office jargon, which can be made to mean different things at different times. That is to be expected.

To say that the result of the referendum came as no surprise is not to put the issue in a proper context. Everyone thought that the No vote would win; but Foreign Office mandarins had hopes of a much larger pro-Spanish vote than a mere 187.

Another paragraph in his brief statement says that there can be no change to Gibraltar's sovereignty without the consent of the people in a referendum.

That is what has been repeated ad nauseum since the preamble to the Constitution was promulgated.

However, in the same way that in the 1967 referendum Britain defined 'the people of Gibraltar' as being the 'Gibraltarians', Mr MacShane has now defined that the 'freely and democratically expressed' wishes of the people are determined in a referendum, which removes the other options that have been the subject of discussion from time to time.

He goes on to understand that many on the Rock (now established as 99%as regards sovereignty talks) have long had serious concerns about a dialogue with Spain... and adds that he will continue to listen to people's views.' If he listens in the same way that his predecessor did, that is, going in through one ear and out of the next, that can only lead to positions being exacerbated.

But the fact remains, he goes on to say, that there can be no stable future for Gibraltar while the dispute with Spain continues and important issues remain unresolved.

For the optimistic, this means that Britain will continue to engage Spain in talks, but not necessarily to progress the current sovereignty talks which the people of Gibraltar have just rejected almost unanimously.

There are, indeed, important issues to be resolved, such as securing a free-flowing frontier on a permanent basis, telephone numbering plans without strings attached and other matters of good neighbourly relations as befit European partners.

NEW TALKS FORUM

Effectively, the Brussels Agreement has been buried (again) but before it resurfaces (again), common sense should prevail in the real world of diplomacy to establish a talks forum that seeks to develop good relations, and not one which is akin to traversing a political minefield.

Given their dialogue policy, the Gibraltar Government will no doubt be looking forward to a new formula wrapped up in flags and capable of triangular seating arrangements - but it clearly it cannot be one where sovereignty is the sine qua non, if there is to he a proper reading of the referendum result.

But before Mr Caruana gets there, if he does, new bridges will have to be built with London and some water, at least, must pass under the bridge. He seems to be under no illusion that relations with the Foreign Office remain difficult, seeing that he has shifted his attention to No. 10 Downing Street, extolling the democratic virtues and the endowed pragmatism of Mr Blair in the hope that he will begin to lay the foundations for a meaningful reappraisal of policy on Gibraltar.

Armed robbery

At approximately 18 30 hrs Sunday the stores Supervisor at Tesco's Supermarket, Marina Bay, was on the 1st floor offices, when a male person with a handgun, entered the offices, and demanded that the supervisor hand over the monies within the safe.

The supervisor was then hit over the back of his head with a blunt instrument, believed to have been the butt, of the handgun. The supervisor has sustained a gash to the back of his head area and has received 18 sutures.

He was then forced to open the safe and the assailant made off with approximately £25,000 in assorted notes.

Police officers were immediately deployed to cover exit points from Gibraltar, i.e. the Frontier and the Air terminal.

The Criminal Investigation department is continuing with inquiries.

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