The Isle of Man’s most senior police officer Russ Foster KPM has praised the 'commitment' and 'professionalism' of his workforce in his first annual report as Chief Constable.
His report, which will be discussed in Tynwald next month, includes key crime statistics, future plans and details of police initiatives between April 2023 and March 2024.
The report highlights a 5% reduction in overall recorded crime and a 6% rise in the detection rate to 54%. It also reveals that the police received over 14,000 calls for help and made 1,900 arrests.
The Chief Constable also outlines the breadth of work undertaken by the Constabulary, including a number of successful operations that aimed to disrupt the work of organised crime groups importing illegal drugs to the Island, laundering cash and an emerging trend of organised immigration crime.
Mr Foster, said:
'I am extremely proud to present my very first Chief Constable’s Report which provides an accurate reflection of the productivity of the Isle of Man Constabulary (IOMC) which is extremely impressive and is indicative of the commitment, professionalism and tenacity of the police officers and staff who work for the Constabulary. In the previous year we saw an increase of 7% in recorded crime. However, I am pleased to report a 5% reduction in recorded crime for the financial year 2023/24, which is also complemented by a positive outcome rate for victims of crime of 54% which is a 6% increase on the previous year.
'The IOMC has been effective in building relationships with partners through the development and implementation of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub to enhance our collective capability to protect vulnerable people. We have continued to reduce harm by tackling serious violence and anti-social behaviour in our local communities, through early intervention and action. We have been relentless in tackling organised crime groups who exploit our borders and bring illicit drugs on to the Island. We have also seen an emergence of more pernicious organised criminality where people have been subject to human trafficking and modern day slavery. We have launched the Proactive International Money Laundering Investigation Team (PIMLT) who have been working with other law enforcement agencies to disrupt, dismantle and pursue justice against organised crime groups engaged in money laundering and fraud on the Island.
'I continue to thoroughly enjoy undertaking my role as Chief Constable and feel privileged to lead an outstanding workforce - I am so proud of the collective achievements of all the officers and staff who work so incredibly hard to keep everyone safe on the Isle of Man.'
Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Jane Poole-Wilson MHK, said:
'I thank the Chief Constable and his officers for their hard work, dedication and commitment to keeping our Island safe over the past year. I very much welcome the proactive work that has been undertaken to safeguard vulnerable members of our society and more broadly protecting our community from organised crime.
'This report emphasises how broad the work of our Constabulary is. The report itself is directly linked to the Department's policing plan and reiterates the importance of those priorities that will continue through this year.
'I hope that the hard work the Department has done in addressing the recruitment and retention issues demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ensure Police officers are paid fairly for the unique and demanding job they do. The starting salary for Police Constables is now much more competitive and this, alongside last year’s one-off retention payment and the 2023 and more recent pay award will, I hope, have a positive impact on recruiting and retaining our valued Police officers.
'I look forward to further working with the Chief Constable towards our shared vision of a safe and secure Island for residents and visitors.'
The full report is available on the Tynwald Register of Business.
