Police History

Early times

The Isle of Man’s first police officers were established under the High Bailiffs’ Act 1777. Previously there had been a feudal system of justice which gave way to Quest Juries – an ancient system of enquiry and trial established by the King of Man, Sir John Stanley in 1417.

The High Bailiffs’ Act was brought in by the House of Keys to ensure the proper cleaning of the streets and care of the highways. At the end of the 18th century, the Isle of Man was a dangerous place to be with little or nothing done to keep the place clean. Streets remained unpaved and badly drained and there were few roads of more than a lane’s width. Street riots, robberies and assaults were common and people went in fear of their safety.

The police were small in number. They were usually ‘old and feeble men, being wretchedly paid and spent most of their time going on errands for those who paid them for doing so’. A Constable received £5 per year and a Chief Constable (equivalent in rank to today’s Police Sergeant) £6. In addition, they were only employed during the daytime so there were no checks on disorders at night.

Information up to the 1980s reproduced from the book Isle of Man Constabulary by George Turnbull, by kind permission of the publishers, Mansk-Svenska Publishing Company Limited, of Peel, Isle of Man.

The Department of Home Affairs also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Manx National Heritage. Old photos reproduced by kind permission of Manx National Heritage.