Walter Finch
THE new Gibraltar Commissioner of Police will start the role in the shadow of the upcoming McGrail report.
The current top police officer, Richard Ullger – who stepped into the role after Ian McGrail was forced to retire in June 2020 – is set to retire himself in April.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated McGrail Report into the circumstances surrounding the latter’s forced exit is set to land ‘unless any unforeseen contingency arises’ in ‘late spring 2025’.
Legal sources on the Rock told the Olive Press that the effect of the report will be chilling on law enforcement.
“Not just any future Commissioner of Police – no police officer will ever dare go after any powerful person in Gibraltar ever again,” said one senior figure.
“They’ll read that report and they’ll know what the rules are.”
Its arrival will follow a lengthy ‘Maxwellisation process’ in which any party set to be criticised in retired judge Sir Peter Openshaw’s report will have the chance to respond ahead of publication.
The grand scope of the inquiry heard evidence from officers of the Royal Gibraltar Police, high-ranking members of the government – including the Chief Minister – and senior lawyers at Hassans law firm.
So the news that Openshaw has set aside three months for the parties to digest and respond to criticism will likely have a few powerful individuals on the Rock squirming.
“Yes, it suggests that at least a few people are going to receive some gloves-off of criticism,” another source told this newspaper.
“However, the ‘Maxwellisation process’ is actually a way to put those gloves back on.”
The inquiry has also received ‘additional evidence’ since the hearings ended in June, throwing another spanner into the works for those wondering what to anticipate.
The recruitment panel for the new Commissioner will be looking for someone ‘??at the rank of UK chief officer, or UK superintendent or Gibraltar or other equivalent’ with a ‘proven track record of leadership and management in a senior police role.’
However they have also said they’ll consider applicants from British nationals plus citizens of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
In light of the murky waters stirred by the McGrail affair, some on the Rock are calling for a new commissioner to come in from abroad.
However, others argue that an outsider will lack the acute knowledge of the territory and the nuanced relationship with Spain necessary to operate effectively.
