Walter Finch
SPANISH police are investigating a senior officer after he was filmed checking passports at the Gibraltar border while allegedly drunk and off duty, the Olive Press can reveal.
The head of the Central Border Unit, Chief Inspector David Barrero, is in lines to face ‘disciplinary proceedings’ after we sent a video of the cop swaying amid the traffic while donning civilian clothes to Policia Nacional head office in Cadiz.
A well-placed La Linea source who confirmed the senior officer’s identity expressed ‘surprise’ that Barrero was checking documents because ‘he had been transferred away to other duties’.
A spokesman for the Policia Nacional told the Olive Press the force is ‘determining what consequences may arise and whether to start disciplinary proceedings.’
Barrero had already been dubbed a ‘rogue officer’ after he took it upon himself last year to impose Schengen controls at the border – against the orders of his own superiors.
In the video, filmed after dark over a fortnight ago, a white-haired man in jeans and jumper is seen staggering around demanding to see the passports of people queuing to enter Spain.
Drivers, motorcyclists and even scooter riders clearly look on in astonishment as other uniformed officers do nothing to interfere with the civilian commanding the show.
Despite the lack of sound, Barrero can be seen lurching backwards and urging a car to come forward with exaggerated gestures.
When the car advances, the border chief leans on its bonnet to inspect the passport of a waiting motorcyclist.
Barrero has risen to notoriety in Gibraltar for his efforts to unilaterally tear up the current transitional arrangement for the border with Spain since Brexit kicked in in 2021.
It was his instructions to stamp Gibraltar passports, on October 11 and again on November 22, that led to long queues gathering on the La Linea side.
As we reported on our front page in November, this dealt a blow to economic activities on the Rock and led to him being dubbed by the Gibraltar government as a ‘rogue’ officer.
The disruption was so severe that St Bernard’s Hospital had to postpone various operations scheduled for the day due to a lack of cross-border workers.
On both days, the order was only later rescinded following an angry phone call from Madrid.
Barrero followed those stunts by filing a denuncia in La Linea court against his own superiors for misconduct and coercion.
The veteran border cop argued the current ‘relaxed’ border controls violate the Schengen code, leaving him with no legal protection in case of an incident, such as a terror attack.
Specifically, article six of the Schengen code requires third-country nationals to meet a number of requirements including ‘justifying the purpose of their visit’, while article eight requires travel documents to be verified and run through security databases.
A La Linea judge has now called Barrero to testify on the current border arrangements as they may well be put to the test against Spanish law.
Spain’s far-right party Vox meanwhile, has backed Barrero by submitting questions to the Spanish parliament.
The Olive Press understands however, that Barrero’s vendetta against Gibraltar may be motivated by an internal dispute within the Policia Nacional which has seen him directly disobey orders and ‘go to war’ against his superiors.
His crusade only came after a new commissioner for La Linea, Maria Jose Martinez moved control of the border away from his unit into the hands of a specific border force in April last year.
A police source told Spanish daily El Pais: “It is not his job to take the border and diplomacy into his own hands.
“The arrangement at the border is clearly a political decision whether he agrees or not. It is not something a chief inspector like Barrero should be deciding.”
The Gibraltatar government declined to comment on ‘the internal affairs of foreign uniformed bodies.’
There have been over 15 rounds of talks since 2021 to try and sort out the status of Gibraltar within Schengen.
Meanwhile, 15,000 workers cross the border into Gibraltar every day to work, with a third of La Linea’s workforce earning a living on the Rock.
