GDP GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
As part of the “People Who Help Us” initiative, the Gibraltar Defence Police visited St Anne’s Upper Primary School.
The visit was attended by approximately 60 school children and their teachers from Year 3 who are currently learning about the Police.
Police Constable (PC) Johnson addressed the children and explained the importance of the GDP Dog Section before PC Ward and PC Dean escorted their police dogs PD Oskar and PD Koki into the school playground. After asking the children what they thought each dog’s role was, the officers demonstrated how PD Oskar conducts his duties.
PD Oskar, a male Belgian Malinois who joined the GDP in December 2020, is a general purpose police dog. His breed is chosen for stamina, agility and their ability to maintain focus.
PD Koki is a specially trained explosive detection dog who joined the GDP in 2022. His role is to detect and indicate the presence of explosives for which he has been trained by searching all types of areas such as buildings, vehicles and outside terrain.
Once the demonstration was over, the children had the opportunity to line up and interact with the police dogs.
Exercise Green Barbarian
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG) recently took part in Exercise Green Barbarian, going back to Infantry basics, which is conducted to prepare the RG for their upcoming Exercise Jebel Tarik.
The aim of the Exercise was to enhance and develop basic Infantry field craft skills as well as develop understanding of section and platoon level operations, shape platoon cohesion and develop basic leadership skills.
During the exercise, the platoons conducted Section Attacks, Individual and Pairs Firing Manoeuvres as well as a platoon ambush.
Soldiers attended morning presentations and conducted afternoon practice sessions. One evening, B Company were joined by I Company for their evening platoon ambush. The aim of the night time drill was to practice the possibility of a platoon ambush to defeat the enemy. I Company used information gathered by B Company, resulting in the enemy being defeated.
Royal Gibraltar Regiment’s Training Sergeant (Sgt), Sgt Field, said, “Exercise Green Barbarian was the first joint training package of the year. It involved both Rifle Companies operating in a confined space. The troops did well, and it has set conditions for more arduous and testing training later in the year.”
FALKLANDS VISIT
In January, ten members of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band began Exercise Tiger Island with a long journey to the Falkland Islands, where they would join forces with the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Band (PWRR) to deliver musical support on behalf of 3 PWRR whilst their battalion were deployed.
With a population of approximately 3,500 in the whole of the Falkland Islands, it was no surprise that Mount Pleasant Primary School had only 24 students! The children were introduced to the instruments in the band and joined the band in marching around the school hall. The PWRR band prepared an entertaining and interactive performance of the ‘Music Man’ consisting of costumes such as bagpiper, pilot and footballer which entertained their 3- 10 year old audience! Friday evening saw the band performing at Mount Pleasant theatre.
Adjoined to the complex’s bar, the theatre that usually sits silent, was brought to life by the band, accompanied by the Military Wives Choir who sung Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Gary Barlow’s “Sing”, originally sung by a Military Wives Choir to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It was attended by their family members and serving military personnel.
