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Importance of a frontier fence - especially if your neighbour claims you
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by Leo Olivero
The frontier fence is getting a makeover, well it's getting a bit more than that it seems, and about time too!
For as many years as I care to remember the poor, neglected and deteriorated structure of the frontier fence has been a bit of a joke with many people. In this respect it’s as if we have been living in a city without walls, or in our case, without an appropriate or suitable frontier fence for protection!
A frontier fence is supposed to mark the border between countries, in Gib's case between ourselves and Spain, who by the way, has a pending sovereign claim over us! All of which confirms, that having a frontier fence which properly and unambiguously demarcates what bit belongs to Spain and importantly for us, what portion of land is British and belongs to the people of Gibraltar.
MADE WORSE
Apart from years of apathy and neglect and then the failed attempt by the previous government to build a tunnel on the eastern side of the Rock, has all made the whole frontier fence situation visible and physically worse.
Tobacco smuggling has soared to unprecedented levels in recent years, not only that, but because of the flimsiness of the frontier fence, particularly along the main frontier stretch and then onto the eastern beach area, has made not only smuggling far easier; but it has also been a constant, unnessary and preventable threat to the security of Gibraltar!
But the excrement (for the sake of another more popular word) hit the proverbial fan late last month when all hell broke loose at eastern beach, this when a gang of over twenty smuggling Spaniards ran riot pelting customs and police with anything they could lay their hands on, injuring one of the officers in the process.
The Chief Minister who visited the area immediately instructed the frontier fence and other similar areas to be reinforced without delay.
The works to repair and strengthen the boundary fence has continued since. Most areas have had razor wire to reinforce and provide added security along the main frontier fence. There is also significant improvement to the eastern beach area where a double fence has been erected in the more problematic areas. Also the fence in this area has been extended in height and strengthened by extending razor-coil-wire along the length of the fence, particularly at a section that was the most popular if not notorious route smugglers would take when crossing over from La Linea into Gibraltar and back along the end of the runway.
At the moment these works are only temporary, although Panorama understands that it is planned that permanent and purpose built high security fences will be installed in the future.
In addition to this, the Government has also passed some well needed emergency legislation declaring large areas stretching along the border from Eastern Beach to Western Beach as “special zones”.
This initiative allows Customs to apply stricter controls under the terms of the Tobacco Act. Inside this special zone a ‘commercial quantity’ of cigarettes changes from 2,000 or more cigarettes to 600 or more.
The new clauses to the ‘tobacco act’ also allows law enforcement agencies like customs and police to move people away if suspected of being involved in smuggling activities, even though these people may not be visibly involved in any smuggling activity. In fact these new powers go even further, because anyone found in one of these ‘special zones’ who is asked/told to leave and refuses - can now be arrested.
EMERGENCY REPAIRS
From what I have been able to see, there has been substantial improvement to the perimeter frontier fence, although quite a bit look like emergency repairs with reinforcement having been made, although the areas do look more secure, until a more permanent job is carried out.
However, will the temporary fencing deter the intrepid smuggler, this is something that we shall have to wait and hopefully not see!
13-06-12
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