Ten years ago, the Isle of Man was reeling from a terrifying crime wave.

An unprecedented spate of burglaries created widespread alarm among residents, placed over-stretched police under intense pressure and put at risk the island’s reputation as one of the safest places to live in the British Isles.

At its peak, burglaries were reported on an almost daily basis.

Between January 9 and March 11, 2015, there were no fewer than 59 house burglaries, throughout the island but predominantly in Douglas.

During that time more than £160,000 in cash and jewellery was stolen.

The first sign that something out of the ordinary was happening came during the weekend of January 10-11 when 11 burglaries and attempted burglaries were reported. Police believed they were all linked.

In some cases, the occupants were at home when the raiders struck.

The burglars appeared to be professionals who did not leave fingerprints and carefully selected the items to steal.

There were reports of two men in a white van wearing hoodies, surgical gloves, and protective plastic coverings over their footwear.

The public were urged to be vigilant and make sure their belongings were in safekeeping.

But one victim said this didn’t deter the burglars: ‘They took all the jewellery in the house and all the cash, including foreign currency. They pulled the safe off the wall and used a drill from out of the garage to break into it.’

The burglars were not interested in any other items such as iPads, which are all traceable, she said: ‘They didn’t ransack the house, it was very organised. They carefully went through the drawers. They are professionals.’

One Detective Constable said at the time: ‘It’s absolutely unbelievable. I’ve been in the job 14 years and I’ve never known anything like it.’

The public were urged not to take matters into their own hands, following the launch of a Facebook site that appeared to encourage vigilantism.

‘Isle of Man Breakins’ attracted more than 200 members. Its creator stated: ‘‘I’m getting PMs that it’s happening all over the island now.’

The burglaries, given ‘critical incident’ status due to the significant public concern, took place over two distinct periods - with 42 offences between January 9 and 24 and a further 17 between February 23 and March 11.

As the number of break-ins spiralled, police stopped telling the public how many burglaries there had been, or where they had taken place, claiming this might hamper their efforts to capture the culprits.

Incredibly the burglars were never caught.

In his annual report for 2015-16, then Chief Constable Gary Roberts said police had identified and targeted the offenders, but there was insufficient evidence to justify charging anyone.

An independent review, carried out by Lancashire police and released in redacted form following a Freedom of Information request by Media IoM, praised the police’s initial response but identified a ‘lack of investigative ownership’ after the first four days.

The case remains open to this day. Thankfully, the island has not experienced such levels of volume crime since.