The Minister of Justice, Trade and Industry, Nigel Feetham KC MP, is pleased to announce the publication of the Crimes (Assaults on Emergency Workers) (Amendment) Bill 2025. This significant legislative amendment aims to enhance the protection of our police officers and all emergency workers by introducing stricter penalties for assaults committed against them as set out in this Government’s manifesto.

The Bill, which has been drafted in consultation with the Royal Gibraltar Police, the Gibraltar Police Federation, and other key stakeholders, introduces a new offence for Assaults on Emergency Workers. This new offence increases the maximum penalty for assaults on police from imprisonment for 12 months to imprisonment for 24 months and affords this same level of protection upon other emergency workers. The new offence does not replace the current law with respect to assaults or violence on particular classes of officers (such as, for example, police or HM Customs officers), but rather provides another option when deciding which offence to charge in respect of any particular incident.

Furthermore, the Bill also enshrines in legislation a requirement that the Courts treat assaults on emergency workers as an aggravating factor, thereby increasing the severity of the sentence for various serious offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding, and sexual assault. This ensures that the protection extends to incidents where, for example, injuries, are sustained and other offences with higher maximum penalties are charged.

“Emergency worker” in this Bill means, a police officer,  a person (other than a police officer) who has the powers of a police officer or is otherwise employed for police purposes or is engaged to provide services for police purposes, a prison officer, a BCA officer, a Customs officer, a person employed for the purposes of providing, or engaged to provide, fire services or fire and rescue services, a person employed for the purposes of providing, or engaged to provide, search services or rescue services (or both), and a person employed for the purposes of providing, or engaged to provide GHA health services or services in the support of the provision of GHA health services and whose general activities in doing so involve face to face interaction with individuals receiving the services or with other members of the public.

The Minister of Justice, the Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP, said: “This Bill underscores the Government's commitment to safeguarding those who serve and protect the community. By imposing harsher penalties and recognizing the unique risks faced by emergency workers, the Bill aims to deter assaults and ensure that offenders are held accountable for their actions. My special thanks go to the Gibraltar Police Federation who have engaged positively throughout the drafting process and have indicated their support of the changes contained therein.”