The Chief Constable has warned organised crime is ‘taking a foothold on the island’.

In his first annual report and policing plan since taking the role, Isle of Man Constabulary’s (IOMC) most senior officer Russ Foster outlined what the force has achieved in the past year and the challenges faced.

His report highlights a 5% reduction in overall recorded crime and a 6% rise in the detection rate to 54%. He also reveals the police received over 14,000 calls for help and made 1,900 arrests.

Much of his focus is on staff recruitment and retention which has been a major problem for a few years but there are plenty of other issues he says need to be addressed.

One priority for Mr Foster is the increase in organised crime emerging on the island.

He said: ‘The challenge in respect of policing is becoming increasingly complex with various forms of organised criminality taking a foot hold in the Island.

‘Most of these organised crime groups relate to drug trafficking and money laundering, but immigration crime is also beginning to emerge as a significant threat.

‘The success of the Isle of Man Constabulary in tackling organised criminality has manifested itself in the prison population being almost to capacity with 33% of inmates being linked to organised crime, compared to just 7% in Merseyside.’

In his report, Mr Foster also outlined the successful drug operations carried out over the last year.

He said: ‘There have been a number of large drugs seizures this year including 1kg of cocaine and 277g of heroin with £22,768 in cash seizures during Operation Bobcat while 2kg of heroin, 1.25kg of cocaine and 16kg of cannabis was seized during Operation Vineyard and 500g of cocaine and 3kg of cannabis with £43,800 in cash seized as part of Operation Voodoo.

‘Meanwhile, Operation Nightjar, which was focused on targeting drug related criminality within the night time economy, generated the arrests and charges of 18 local suspects involved in the supply of Class A drugs. Interestingly this year has also seen a reduction in violent crime linked to drugs.’

Mr Foster also talks about tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism as another key priority driven by the force’s Proactive International Money Laundering Investigation Team.

He also said a lot of work has gone into tackling exploitation of vulnerable people, particularly child sexual exploitation.

New Domestic abuse legislation has also been used to address the issue which has seen an increase in prosecutions and the granting of domestic abuse protection notices and orders.

Youth offending is also down 16 per cent in the last year but 25 juveniles have been identified as ‘prolific’ and responsible for much of the re-offending.

There have been three fatal crashed in the last year and an increase in serious or fatal collisions with 63 this year compared to 50 the previous year.

In total, there have been 2,760 recorded crimes with 1,980 arrests. The detection rate stands at 54%.

Mr Foster said: ‘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 harm to keep everyone safe on the Isle of Man.’

Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Jane Poole-Wilson MHK, added: ‘I thank the Chief Constable and his officers for their hard work, dedication and commitment to keeping our Island safe over the past year.

‘It’s critical we ensure we can respond quickly to evolving threats which face our island and the Policing Plan is part of that.’

The Policing Plan for 2024-25 will be laid before the October sitting of Tynwald and is available to read in full on the Register of Tynwald Business