Members of the public are invited to find out about the Constabulary’s priorities for policing in their area – and contribute to future plans – at a series of regional public meetings.
Open forums will be held in the west, south, north and east of the Island over the coming weeks, starting on Monday 26 July at Queen Elizabeth ll High School in Peel at 7pm.
The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Graham Cregeen will attend the meetings, which will be led by senior police officers and colleagues from the local policing team.
MHKs from the area and local authority members have also been invited to attend the meetings, which will start with an update on the aims and current developments in neighbourhood policing, before the floor is opened to questions.
The events are an opportunity for local residents to discuss the issues that matter to them with police officers in an informal setting, and to put forward their views on key priorities for the future. Feedback and suggestions gathered at the meetings will be taken into consideration when next year’s operational policing plan is drawn up.
Minister Cregeen said:
‘This is genuine grass-roots engagement between the police and the public - a two-way conversation between officers and the people they serve. Successful policing is based on a partnership between the Constabulary, officers on the ground and the local community. So we’re keen to hear first-hand what matters to those communities, and ensure those needs and concerns are reflected in our future policing plans.’
The importance of neighbourhood policing in helping to keep the Island and its people safe was highlighted in the Chief Constable’s Annual Report 2020-21, which was received by Tynwald this week. In it, Gary Roberts outlines how locality-based police teams work with local communities to identify and address community problems, protect vulnerable people and reduce offending and antisocial behaviour.
While the approach was temporarily suspended during lockdown periods, as officers were deployed elsewhere as part of the Constabulary’s pandemic response, neighbourhood policing is now being restored. In his report, the Chief Constable reiterates that neighbourhood policing is ‘the base upon which all policing activity in the Isle of Man is built.’
Four Neighbourhood Policing public meetings are planned:
West:
Date: Monday 26 July 2021
Venue: QE2 High School main hall
Time: 7.00pm
South:
Date: Thursday 29 July 2021
Venue: Methodist Hall, Station Road, Port Erin
Time: 8pm
North:
Date: Tuesday 3 August 2021
Venue: Bunscoill Rhumsaa. Junior School Hall, Lezayre Road, Ramsey
Time: 7.00pm
East:
Date: Thursday 5 August 2021
Venue: Old Friends Club, Finch Road, Douglas
Time: 6.30pm
The meetings are open to all, free to attend, with no need to book.
