Isle of Man Constabulary
200 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 66.0%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man Constabulary reveal an authority that is generally cooperative and transparent regarding statistical data, particularly in areas of public safety, road traffic incidents, and crime figures. The force has consistently released detailed breakdowns of sexual offences, domestic abuse statistics, and the specific costs of high-profile events like Royal visits (Cases 1151525, 3763230). This openness extends to niche local issues, such as wallaby collisions and sheep worrying, demonstrating a willingness to engage with community-specific concerns (Cases 553134, 1166149). However, a clear pattern of obstruction emerges when requests touch upon internal culture, personal data, or specific operational tactics. The Constabulary frequently cites 'disproportionate effort' or the risk of identifying individuals to withhold data on bullying complaints, officer injuries, and specific caution details (Cases 353867, 1326709, 353895).
Key Cases
Case 353867 — This case highlights a significant transparency gap regarding internal culture. The Constabulary admitted to having no central register for bullying and harassment complaints prior to April 2017, and refused to release specific data to avoid identifying individuals, raising questions about the force's ability to track and address internal misconduct.
Case 1321209 — A critical disclosure on internal accountability during the pandemic. The force revealed that three of its own officers were warned for breaching COVID-19 regulations, confirming that police were held to the same standards as the public, a key point of public interest during the crisis.
Case 3726171 — This 2024 case touches on a serious allegation regarding the deletion of a former Chief Constable's emails. While the summary cuts off, the request itself signals a potential crisis in data retention and government accountability, making it a pivotal moment for investigative scrutiny.
Case 1151525 — Demonstrates high-level financial transparency. The Constabulary provided the exact cost (£8,529.89) of policing Princess Anne's visit, setting a precedent for disclosing specific security expenditures for high-profile events.
Case 2039173 — Addresses public concern regarding sexual misconduct within the force. The disclosure of only two allegations and zero dismissals over a five-year period provides a clear, albeit limited, picture of the force's internal integrity regarding sexual offenses.
Related FOI Stories
Pandemic Enforcement and Internal Accountability — #1300877, #1321209, #1472805, #1624929, #1649413
Road Safety and the TT Festival — #470333, #553233, #855265, #865865, #1127725
Sexual Offences and Public Safety Registers — #353877, #353883, #353905, #1102261, #1996906
Internal Culture, Discipline, and Recruitment — #353841, #353855, #353867, #353873, #353887
Royal Visits and High-Profile Spending — #1151525, #3763230
All (200)
All information sent (132) ·
Some information sent but not all held (31) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (14) ·
Information not held (11) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (5) ·
Request lapsed - requested information not provided (3) ·
Withdrawn (1) ·
Vexatious request (1) ·
Not required to fulfill request (1) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint part upheld (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-02-27 | Use of Sniffer Dogs in Educational Establishments | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The request sought data on sniffer dog searches for illegal substances in Isle of Man schools over five years, but the response was marked as lapsed despite providing a table of recorded searches under PPP8. The Constabulary noted that most searches were voluntary and no drugs were found. | ||
| 2019-02-11 | Number of sex offenders on the IOM register | All information sent |
| 2019-01-17 | Complaints about sex in a public place | Some information sent but not all held |
| The requester asked for annual statistics on complaints and arrests regarding public sexual activity from 1998 to 2018, split by location. The Isle of Man Constabulary responded that they do not hold data in the requested format or for the full time period, providing only general arrest and event figures from 2011 to 2018. | ||
| 2019-01-02 | Police Issued Cautions for the 2018 Calendar Year | All information sent |
| The request sought statistics on police cautions issued by the Isle of Man Constabulary in 2018, broken down by offence and department. The authority disclosed that only 'Caution by Police' data was provided, detailing 14 pages of results across various categories including assault, burglary, and driving offences. | ||
| 2018-10-25 | Road Traffic Offences Connected with the Riding of Pedal Cycles | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for statistics on road traffic offences involving pedal cycles from 2015 to October 2018, disclosing that no Fixed Penalty Notices were issued while providing a breakdown of 11 individuals summonsed or cautioned for various offences. | ||
| 2018-10-09 | Number of callouts to a particular area of Douglas | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for police callout statistics in Tynwald Street and Fairfield Terrace, Douglas, from April 2017 to October 2018. The authority disclosed detailed monthly breakdowns of total incidents, 999 calls, and search warrants executed for both locations. | ||
| 2018-10-02 | Items seized as weapons by the police | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for data on weapons seized since 2013, providing a breakdown of recorded crimes and specific weapon types by year. The authority disclosed that a total of 95 weapons were seized across the period, with knives and blades being the most common category. | ||
| 2018-09-20 | Time & Costing for MISPER's & Vulnerable Persons | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought statistics on police resource allocation, annual missing person incidents, location times, and telecommunications data costs for vulnerable missing persons in the Isle of Man. The Constabulary provided incident counts and time statistics but withheld data on officer numbers and telecom costs citing exemptions related to police tactics and crime prevention. | ||
| 2018-09-19 | Drink Spiking numbers | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for statistics on drink spiking reports over the last decade, disclosing data for the six-year period from April 2012 to April 2018 based on keyword searches. | ||
| 2018-09-17 | Number of search warrants issued inclusive of seizure value | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for data on drug-related search warrants issued between January and September 2018, disclosing details for 33 specific operations including forced entry, officer numbers, seizures, and arrests. | ||
| 2018-09-13 | Recruiting | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding recruitment statistics over the past five years and policies on personal use of police vehicles. The authority disclosed specific numbers of local and external recruits, their current employment status, and referenced the Police Code of Ethics regarding officer conduct. | ||
| 2018-09-12 | Ex Police Officers employed by the Isle o Man Constabulary | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought details on retired or resigned police officers re-employed by the Isle of Man Constabulary, including their roles, qualifications, and total cost. The authority disclosed the number of staff, their job titles, and pay band distribution, but withheld specific names, individual qualifications, and salary figures due to data protection exemptions. | ||
| 2018-09-05 | Tasers | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request regarding Taser usage statistics and public firearms training schedules. The authority disclosed that Tasers have been discharged 7 times total since their introduction, with specific details on dates, locations, and targets, while noting that records for public firearms training frequency are not kept. | ||
| 2018-08-29 | Mountain Road | All information sent |
| 2018-07-27 | Police incidents involving wallabies | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the number of police incidents involving wallabies over the last five years. The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed that while wallabies are not classified as animals under the Road Traffic Act, they identified 9 total incidents between 2014 and 2018, including collisions, carcass discoveries, and a marine rescue. | ||
| 2018-07-27 | Statistics on the amount of bikers killed on Manx roads since 2008 | All information sent |
| A request was made for statistics on motorcyclist fatalities on Manx roads since 2008, but the Isle of Man Constabulary could only provide data from 2012 due to system changes. The response disclosed 26 fatalities over the period, including a breakdown by location and country of residence. | ||
| 2018-07-09 | Big cat sightings | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Constabulary for statistics on big cat sightings over the last five years. The authority responded that no such records exist and therefore no data could be provided. | ||
| 2018-07-06 | Criminal Offences & Arrests at the Castletown Festival | Withdrawn |
| A request was made for arrest statistics and court outcomes related to the Castletown Festival between 2014 and 2017, but the request was withdrawn by the applicant on July 26, 2018, before the Constabulary could provide the specific data. | ||
| 2018-06-11 | Request for Coroner of Inquests report from man found dead in Arrasey | All information sent |
| 2018-05-14 | Accidents on Ramsey to Douglas Coast Road | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Isle of Man Constabulary for accident statistics on the Douglas to Ramsey Coast Road during the TT fortnight over the last three years. The authority disclosed that 19 collisions occurred, 12 involved motorcycles, 66 prosecutions were brought, and there were no fatalities. | ||
| 2018-04-09 | Statistics on Domestic Abuse | All information sent |
| The requester asked for annual domestic abuse statistics for 2016 and 2017 broken down by the sex of the victim and offender. The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed the full data, providing incident counts for both years along with methodological notes on how the data was recorded. | ||
| 2018-02-23 | Issue of Fixed Penalty Notices (including Endorseable FPN) by the Constabulary for the calendar year 1 January 2017 - 31 December 2017 | All information sent |
| The request sought data on Fixed Penalty Notices issued by the Isle of Man Constabulary in 2017, broken down by unit and offence type. The authority disclosed full statistics for both Endorseable and Non-Endorseable penalties across all requested categories. | ||
| 2018-02-20 | reported cases of sexual assault/ rape in the force area, broken down per year from 2013 - 2017 | All information sent |
| 2018-01-30 | IM118836I | All information sent |
| 2018-01-30 | Road Traffic Accidents | All information sent |
| 2018-01-11 | Concerning discipline for misuse of computer systems | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for data on disciplinary proceedings regarding unauthorized computer access since 2011, disclosing that no such cases occurred until 2017/18 when a Police Sergeant received a written warning. | ||
| 2017-12-01 | Request for Data on Rape cases. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary provided data on sexual assault reporting and prosecution outcomes for the period between 2010 and 2017 in response to a Freedom of Information request. The response included statistical breakdowns of crime statuses, reasons for discontinuation, and the number of subjects charged versus cautioned. | ||
| 2017-11-27 | Queries around the cautions subject of earlier request. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for specific details regarding four caution cases involving drink driving, possession of indecent images, and speeding, along with a copy of their cautioning policy. The authority disclosed alcohol readings, image classifications, and incident details for the speeding offences, noting that the speeding cautions were issued due to officer training limitations with speed detection equipment. | ||
| 2017-11-23 | Number of legal cautions. | All information sent |
| The requester asked for details on how caution recipients were advised about criminal records, which was adjusted to a request for the cautioning policy. The Isle of Man Constabulary confirmed they hold the information and provided the full 'Police Caution for adult offenders' policy document. | ||
| 2017-11-10 | Request for statistics concerning withdrawal of parking fines. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for statistics on withdrawn parking fines by disclosing that 74 fixed penalties were cancelled or resulted in no further action between January 2016 and November 2017. | ||
| 2017-10-30 | Request concerning cautions and brief descriptions. | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for detailed caution statistics and offence descriptions from 2014 to 2017, providing aggregate counts by offence type but withholding specific brief details due to personal data exemptions. | ||
| 2017-09-28 | Request into the report in 2015 of assessment of burglary investigation | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for a 2015 peer review report by Lancashire Chief Constable Steve Finnigan regarding a spike in domestic burglaries on the Isle of Man. The Constabulary released a redacted copy of the report, withholding information due to ongoing investigations and data protection laws. | ||
| 2017-09-12 | Arbory school speeding | Some information sent but not all held |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request regarding traffic safety concerns and enforcement data near Arbory School, disclosing one specific instance of raised concerns and providing prosecution and fixed penalty notice statistics from 2013 to 2017. | ||
| 2017-08-31 | Chemical contents of police vehicles | All information sent |
| 2017-08-09 | Request concerning retirement figures | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed full data regarding police officer retirements over a three-year period, specifically detailing the percentages of retirements due to ill health and those work-related. | ||
| 2017-07-04 | Request for crime figures - Sexual offences. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for sexual offence crime figures reported between January and June 2017, disclosing a total of 42 crimes and their current investigation statuses. The authority clarified that while 9 cases resulted in charges, specific conviction numbers could not be provided as many judicial proceedings were still ongoing. | ||
| 2017-06-27 | Requesting number of RTC's in a road. | All information sent |
| A request was made for the number of road traffic incidents on Strang Road in Union Mills since January 1, 2017. The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed full details of five specific incidents, including road traffic collisions and highway obstructions, occurring between January and May 2017. | ||
| 2017-05-31 | Questions concerning levels of sex offenders on the register. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding the number and breakdown of individuals on the Sex Offenders' Register as of May 2017. The authority disclosed the total count, gender distribution, and the predominant offences for those registered. | ||
| 2017-05-18 | Questions concerning use of cannabis and offences | Some information sent but not all held |
| A request for data on cannabis-related prison sentences, costs, police budgets, and violent crimes was partially fulfilled by the Isle of Man Constabulary, which disclosed statistics on alcohol-related violence but refused other parts due to lack of specific records or jurisdiction. | ||
| 2017-05-15 | How many police officers have retired/left? | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a request for data on police officer departures and staffing levels, disclosing full information regarding resignations, retirements, and the gap between actual and authorized headcount. | ||
| 2017-05-09 | Request concerning a file reference 2486/17 | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for information held under file reference 2486/17, but the Isle of Man Constabulary refused to disclose it under FOI, citing that the information is either already accessible via a fee or constitutes personal data exempt under the Data Protection Act. | ||
| 2017-04-24 | Internal complaints of bullying | Decision Notice - Complaint part upheld |
| A request for statistics on internal bullying, discrimination, and harassment complaints within the Isle of Man Constabulary from 2012 to 2017 was partially refused because no central register existed prior to April 2017 and releasing specific data could identify individuals. | ||
| 2017-04-04 | The number of alcohol licenses and premises. | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed a list of premises holding on-licences for alcohol sales, including locations and licence types, following a request that excluded off-licence information. The authority noted that the list includes historical data for operational policing purposes and may contain premises no longer in existence. | ||
| 2017-03-23 | Concerning admissibility of dash camera footage | All information sent |
| The requester asked if the Isle of Man Constabulary accepts dash camera footage of traffic offences from the public. The authority confirmed that while no specific policy document exists, such footage is considered on a case-by-case basis if it meets evidence standards and prosecution thresholds. | ||
| 2017-03-20 | Concerning transferees and force numbers | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding police force numbers, vacancies, and recruitment statistics, disclosing full details on establishment size, current vacancies, and training durations for new recruits versus transferees. | ||
| 2017-03-14 | DBS volume requests on vetting. | All information sent |
| The requester asked for statistics on the time taken to process criminal records checks for specific professions over the past two years. The Isle of Man Constabulary responded that this specific breakdown is not held, as the process covers all workers and volunteers, and directed the requester to publicly available UK DBS performance data. | ||
| 2017-03-07 | Budget for roads Policing and roads safety | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the specific 2017/18 budget allocation for the Road Safety Unit and Roads Policing Unit. The Constabulary disclosed that no specific budget exists for these units as costs are absorbed into the general budget, though staffing details and strategic priorities were provided. | ||
| 2017-03-05 | Concerning sheep worrying | All information sent |
| The applicant requested historical data on livestock worrying and attacks by dogs over the last five years, including breed details, DNA testing records, and prosecution outcomes. The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed available data from their iNet and Mentor systems regarding incidents closed as 'Dog Worrying Animals' but could not provide specific breed details or DNA statistics due to resource constraints and the non-criminal nature of the offense. | ||
| 2017-01-23 | Crimes within a specific area and dates | All information sent |
| A parent requested crime statistics for a specific area in Douglas for their daughter's school project, covering the period from June 2016 to January 2017. The Isle of Man Constabulary disclosed the full information, providing a breakdown of 64 crimes within a 500-meter radius of the specified location. | ||
| 2017-01-09 | Promotion/Rank-Fitness-Second incomes | All information sent |
| The Isle of Man Constabulary responded to a Freedom of Information request regarding promotion statistics, fitness testing protocols, and secondary employment declarations. The authority disclosed all requested information, including specific failure rates for fitness tests and a breakdown of secondary jobs by officer rank. | ||
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