While Covid-19 made 2020 an extremely challenging year for Guernsey Police and the Guernsey Border Agency, both organisations also rose to the challenge, and went above and beyond in their duties to help keep the island safe.
This longer-than-usual report details all the extra work undertaken by Bailiwick Law Enforcement as a result of the pandemic.
'Business as usual' work did not stop because of the coronavirus though, and the usual work BLE undertakes year to year to keep the Bailiwick community safe also continued. Customs and Immigration teams continued to unravel the additional work presented by Brexit, while Law Enforcement continued to enforce the law while working within the Covid guidelines.
Covid-19 also presented new challenges for the FIS, which had to keep a close eye on newly emerging business practices, which came out of the fast move to technological solutions businesses made as they adapted. Although the outbreak initially resulted in a decrease in the filing of Suspicious Activity Reports, the FIS has reported this was short-lived as submissions bounced back in May, illustrating the elasticity and resilience of the Bailiwick's financial sector.
Head of Law Enforcement, Chief Officer Ruari Hardy, said:
"The 2020 Annual Report from Bailiwick Law Enforcement is a detailed record of the work undertaken during a challenging year. I would like to express my thanks to the people of the Bailiwick for their support and engagement during this time and publicly acknowledge the professionalism and dedication of the staff within Law Enforcement. I must also acknowledge the support we receive from the other Blue Light Services, The Committee for Home Affairs and other strategic partners in public service, specifically with respect to the pandemic. The report recognises the challenges posed during 2020, but also demonstrates that in many areas it was business as usual and staff worked tirelessly to keep our community safe and secure. I recommend this report to you as a record of the exceptional contribution made by the staff of Bailiwick Law Enforcement to the communities of the Bailiwick in 2020."
Adrian Hale, Head of the Financial Intelligence Service, said:
"Covid-19 saw the FIS have to put its focus on rapidly developing new work practices, which were emerging as a result of the new requirements the pandemic was placing on businesses. I am pleased to say as a team we rose to the challenge, and coronavirus did not hinder our performance in combatting money laundering or terrorist financing. Despite the many challenges that lie ahead in 2021, the FIS looks forward to harnessing the capabilities of the island's new Economic & Financial Crime Bureau, which it is now a part of, and to continuing collaborative working with other FIUs, law enforcement agencies, regulators, Government departments and other stakeholders in the fight against financial crime."
Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee for Home Affairs, said:
"Our officers in Guernsey Police and the Guernsey Border Agency worked extremely hard throughout 2020 to ensure the community remained as safe as possible from the virus, and as islanders, we all owe them a great deal of thanks. Despite the pressure it was under, it is clear to me that the organisations continued to operate extremely effectively in its usual capacity as well, and that fact is a credit to the hard work of all of the staff. I am also pleased to see progress has continued to be made following the HMICFRS inspection in previous years."