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The ?10 million police force that is over-stretched...
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Many eyebrows have been raised following the statement made by the RGP to the effect that they are so over-stretched that they will not be able to provide the usual police cover to the SDGG rally, as if they could not be at two places at the same time!
If all the policing resources of a 200-strong police force can disappear so quickly, the question to be asked is if the RGP is saying that they are not being provided with sufficient funds to be able to cover all eventualities, in which case they should address their complaint to the Gibraltar Government, or if that is not the case, is it what some people think that the RGP is costing Gibraltar too much, has grown too much but in the past, with less resources, they seemed capable of doing more.
What is the answer? The police have clearly put the spotlight on themselves by their own statement.
The RGP is costing more each year, total expenditure is now close to ?10 million, some ?700,000 more than at the last actual expenditure for 2006/07.
Salaries take the lion's share of the police, at an estimated ?7.74 million according to the Approved Estimates for the present financial year.
When you add allowances and overtime, the figure shoots up to nearly ?9 million.
The RGP spends ?90,000 in 'training courses and conferences; ?437,000 in 'operational expenses' and ?250,000 in 'office expenses', that is, running the office.
In office cleaning alone they spend a tidy ?30,000 a year, investigation expenses draws up a sum of ?105,000 while the radio communications system costs ?110,000.
Uniforms and equipment stand at ?82,000 plus ?27,000 for transport expenses and ?52,000 on motor boats and launches.
They provide ?50,000 to the Police Authority for their expenses, how about that? This seems quite high when you consider that the Gibraltar Coordinating Centre for Criminal Intelligence and Drugs, costs not that much more at ?77,000 - that includes expenses ranging from ?44,000 for 'office rent and service charges' to ?1,000 for their famous computer.
See how total costs go up: From ?9.2 million in actual expenditure for 2006/07 to ?9.88 million in approved estimated expenditure for 2008/09.
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