The Isle of Man's new Chief Constable, Russ Foster KPM, has been sworn into the role at a ceremony at the Courts of Justice in Douglas today (Monday).

Chief Constable Foster KPM joins the Isle of Man Constabulary from West Yorkshire Police where he has served for the last four years as Deputy Chief Constable – CC Foster was selected in early September last year to succeed Gary Roberts QPM as Chief Constable who has retired after 10 years in the post on Friday.

With 30 years policing experience, CC Foster has a balanced career profile serving in both uniform and Criminal Investigation Departments.

He has been an investigator at each and every rank from Detective Constable to Detective Superintendent and has led many murder investigations and serious and organised crime inquiries.

CC Foster has been a chief officer for the last 10 years and has previously had responsibility for Counter Terrorism Policing in the North East of England, the Regional Organised Crime Unit and Regional Scientific Support Services for the four forces in the Yorkshire and Humber Region, as well as Specialist Crime for West Yorkshire Police.

CC Foster has a Master’s Degree in Police Leadership and Management and was awarded the Kings Police Medal in the most recent New Year’s Honours for services to policing.

In relation to priorities Chief Constable Foster said: 'I have had the privilege of working extremely closely with my predecessor, Chief Constable Gary Roberts since the beginning of February this year to facilitate a handover of responsibilities and ensure a seamless transition of leadership – I have been familiarising myself with the unique context of the island and gaining an understanding of the current and future challenges for policing.

'The island enjoys comparatively low crime rates, the severity of which in terms of harm is also usually low. However, I am certainly not complacent and my ambition is to ensure that the Isle of Man continues to be the safest island in the British Isles and I will be intensifying efforts to protect vulnerable people, reduce harm in our communities and tackle criminality as a priority.

'There will be a real focus to prevent violence being perpetrated against women and girls, particularly in respect of domestic abuse and we will be tackling the drug dealers who are exploiting children and vulnerable adults.

'I am acutely aware that minor crimes and anti-social behaviour can have a massive impact on the quality of people’s lives and our research indicates that these crimes are committed by a few individuals who are mainly young people.

'I am conscious of not unnecessarily criminalising these young people and will explore ways to work with our partners and engage early to divert them away from committing offences and anti-social behaviour.

'I am absolutely committed to a community style of policing and see this as the cornerstone to the service we provide to the public.

'Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams, will be visible, accessible and responsive and will work with local communities and other partners to resolve issues which matter to the people we serve. We are already well engaged in our communities both physically and virtually, but I want to develop this further with the concept of ‘We asked, You Said, We Did’ to address any concerns raised locally.'

Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Jane Poole-Wilson MHK, said: 'I am pleased that there has been this opportunity for a handover period, and I am grateful to both our retired Chief Constable Gary Roberts and Chief Constable Foster for their work together on this. 

'Chief Constable Foster brings with him an extensive knowledge and experience, alongside a commitment to understanding our island in context with the particular challenges we face.

'I believe these attributes, with his understanding of the importance of community engagement, will enable the continued development of our police force to ensure we are an island where people feel safe and supported. I wish him well in his new role.'