Isle of Man crime falls a further 10%

THE Chief Constable’s Annual Report has been welcomed by Home Affairs Minister Adrian Earnshaw MHK.

The report, which the Minister will ask be received at this month’s sitting of Tynwald, shows recorded crime on the Isle of Man reduced by 10.5% during the reporting year (April 2008-March 2009). However, the total of 3,424 crimes represents a fall of 20% against the three year average, and a reduction of 35% when compared with 2006-2007.

Other headline achievements contained in the report are:

• A detection rate of 51% (compared with the 27% average across 43 police forces in England and Wales)
• Criminal damage offences fell by almost 10%, a reduction of 23% over the three year average, with a detection rate of almost 30% being achieved
• Assaults excluding domestic violence are down 21%, with a detection rate of 73%
• Significant increase in drug seizures with a total value of £376,776
• Increase in drug-related offences to 295, of which 97% were detected
• Public order offences fell by 30%.

Mr Earnshaw commented:

‘Statistics in the report reflect that the Isle of Man remains an extremely safe place to live or visit. I am happy to have the responsibility to present it to Tynwald and I hope Honourable Members will be pleased by the Constabulary’s achievements over the past year.

‘People’s perception is that crime continues to escalate, a view possibly influenced by television and newspaper reporting in the UK, which thankfully is not reflected in everyday life in the Isle of Man and I’d like to get some proportionality here. We are fortunate to live in a community where crime levels remain low and where neighbourhood policing is paying real dividends in terms of detecting crimes and the use of intelligence. There are areas of concern that may need greater attention in the coming year, and I will be discussing with the Chief Constable where our focus will be in the future.

‘Overall I feel this is a very positive report and ensures the Isle of Man remains one of the safest places in the British Isles.’

Other statistics revealed in the report show that offences of taking vehicles without consent fell by 39%, or 46 fewer offences, which is an area the Chief Constable pledged to target in last year’s report.

Also, road traffic collisions reduced by five percent (46) with a total of 942 compared with 988 the previous year. Serious injury collisions reduced by 38 and fatal road collisions fell from seven people to six. Meanwhile prosecutions for motorists having no insurance fell from 158 to 128.

Other positive news in the report includes a reduction in the number of referrals to the Youth Justice Team – down 174 to 494 in 2008-2009. Levels of recidivism also demonstrate an improvement, although referrals to the Juvenile Alcohol Referral Scheme stayed constant. Total juvenile arrests totalled 196, a reduction of 130 on the previous year.

The Minister added:

‘The welfare of young people remains a focus of the Isle of Man Government and publishing of the Children’s Plan last month was a watershed in terms of formalising Government’s increasingly co-ordinated approach to providing services that will ensure all young people can achieve the desired outcomes. The Constabulary and the Department of Home Affairs are key partners in the organisations tasked with delivering Integrated Children’s Services, and we are not complacent but will be looking at how we can build on these achievements in the future to enable all in our society to flourish.’

Copies of the Chief Constable’s Annual Report are available from the Tynwald Library or online at www.gov.im/dha/police