The Isle of Man’s position as the safest jurisdiction in the British Isles has been reinforced in the Chief Constable’s Annual Report 2018-19.
The report, which will be laid before Tynwald in July, outlines a number of important areas affecting the Constabulary and its work to keep the Isle of Man safe.
In his summary the Chief Constable highlights a change of focus for the Constabulary who are moving from response based policing, to focusing largely on prevention and harm reduction.
A total of 2,503 crimes were recorded during the 12 months from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, a 10% increase when compared to the previous year.
It was noted by the Chief Constable that despite this increase, levels still remain significantly lower than 10 years ago.
Chief Constable Gary Roberts said:
‘Over the past year violence, drugs and mental health matters have played a large part of the work that the Constabulary has been involved in. A change in approach for the Constabulary aims to enable officers to proactively tackle crime and the force is already starting to see some of the benefits of this.
‘It is a privilege to lead the Constabulary and it’s because of the everyday work of our police officers, Special Constables, support staff and community volunteers that we’re able to say the Isle of Man remains the safest place in the British Isles.
‘Looking forward, the recently published Strategic Plan will set the Constabulary on a slightly different path and the support from Tynwald through this year’s budget will mean the force can continue to actively tackle crime and keep the Isle of Man safe.’
Violence is recognised as an emerging issue for the force in the annual report, with officers reporting greater levels of violence.
Drugs were also highlighted as an increasing area of concern, where efforts to tackle drug trafficking last year saw the force seize more controlled drugs than ever before.
Mental health matters were noted as becoming a growing cause of demand for the police force by the Chief Constable. Last year there were 24% more cases than the previous year involving a mental health element.
The Constabulary has worked in close collaboration with various stakeholders including to Department of Health and Social Care and policing partners in the United Kingdom to address some of the challenges the force is facing.
The Chief Constable’s Annual Report 2018-19 is available to read in full.
