Border control boss axed in Gibraltar passport row!Gibraltar and British flags on the streets of Gibraltar.Credit: Shutterstock, AstroVictor
Fury as top cop sacked over passport stamping chaos at the border.
The chief inspector in charge of Gibraltar’s border control has been dramatically axed – by email! – after enforcing passport stamping rules for Gibraltarians entering Spain.
The now-former head of the Gibraltar Border Control Post was booted from his position on Friday, February 21, after officers at the border started stamping the passports of Gibraltarians, treating them like any other non-EU nationals. But his bosses weren’t having it, and by lunchtime, he was hauled into police headquarters and his deputy was ordered to stop the checks.
Gibraltar stamping fury leads to chaos
The dramatic move sparked long queues at the border from 10.30 AM, with traffic backing up into Gibraltar. But just as suddenly as it started, the passport-stamping came to a screeching halt at midday, when the inspector in charge was called in and swiftly stripped of his duties. His superiors wanted border checks to remain ‘relaxed’ to avoid delays, but the inspector insists Schengen rules require all third-country nationals – including Gibraltarians – to have their passports stamped.
Now, he’s taking the fight to court. On Monday, he’ll be back in front of a judge in La Linea to expand his legal battle, accusing his bosses of perverting the course of justice.
Border battle turns ugly
The inspector had been butting heads with his superiors for months over how Schengen rules should apply to Brits crossing into Spain. He maintains that failing to check and stamp passports breaks EU law – but the powers that be prioritised keeping the border moving smoothly.
Prevarication, coercion and abuse of power?
The inspector originally filed a legal complaint on November 22, arguing that failing to check passports breaches Schengen law. Now, he’s set to add charges of coercion and abuse of power to the mix.
His concerns? Allowing Gibraltarians to enter without stamps means their time in the EU isn’t being monitored, creating a potential security risk. He raised the alarm in four official letters between September and October, demanding written instructions on why the border was being handled differently. Those letters were allegedly ignored.
At the heart of the storm is a legal grey area: who is responsible if border officers are ordered to bypass EU laws? Schengen’s Article 6 sets entry conditions for non-EU nationals, while Article 11 mandates stamping passports. But agents at Gibraltar’s border have only ever been given verbal orders to turn a blind eye-nothing in writing.
The row over Gibraltar’s border is far from over.
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