In this first conversation with Chief Constable Steve Jupp, PolicingTV explores one of the most unusual policing roles in the British Overseas Territories. From headquarters in Cyprus, Steve explains how the Sovereign Base Areas Police operate across two distinct parts of the island, providing conventional policing services while also supporting military partners, handling security responsibilities and working within a uniquely complex legal and operational environment.
The interview also looks at Steve’s own career journey from the Metropolitan Police to West Midlands, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and national organised crime leadership before taking on the Cyprus role. A major theme throughout is cooperation — with the Republic of Cyprus Police, with military police and with the legal system — and how trust, planning and long-built relationships are essential when policing invisible boundaries, mixed jurisdictions and shared risks.
Key takeaways
- Steve Jupp says the Sovereign Base Areas Police are a conventional police force, not a military police force.
- The force provides the full range of policing functions, from response and CID to neighbourhood policing and intelligence.
- A major theme is the unique complexity of policing two separate land areas around 100 kilometres apart.
- The western and eastern sovereign base areas have very different policing demands, from urban pressures to rural communities.
- Steve says crime and policing on the island depend heavily on close coordination with the Republic of Cyprus Police.
- Invisible boundaries create practical challenges for pursuits, escorts, arrests and case handling.
- Trust, transparency and long-standing relationships are described as the foundation of cross-border cooperation.
- The interview also reveals the unusual breadth of the role, including Steve’s current responsibility as prison governor.
Chapters
00:29 – Meet the Chief Constable of the Sovereign Base Areas
03:05 – What the Sovereign Base Areas Police actually do
03:48 – Policing two very different parts of the island
06:18 – Working with the Republic of Cyprus Police
09:37 – What happens when laws and jurisdictions overlap
11:36 – An unusual extra role: prison governor
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