Former chief constable's fear that successor will be left 'on a burning platform' over pay

DHA Minister hoping to provide update on 'significant issue' in July Tynwald

Work is continuing to tackle the ‘significant issue’ of police officers’ pay on the Isle of Man.

The Justice and Home Affairs Minister has told Manx Radio she is hoping to provide an update to Tynwald this month.

Jane Poole-Wilson will take the Chief Constable’s Annual Report for 2022/2023 to the court – it’s the last penned by Gary Roberts who retired at the end of March and has now been published.

His report included a letter sent to the minister in February where he shared his concerns that his successor – Russ Foster – would be ‘left on a burning platform’ if nothing was done.

"We are on the verge of a crisis," he wrote: "Officers are angry – and angrier than I have ever seen them before – because of pay and not because of what they do."

Recent changes to the pay of teachers, by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, to lift their salary to £10,000 more than that of a police constable, he added, had ‘angered’ his staff.

In the letter Mr Roberts said whilst he understood the pressures faced by government the situation had actually deteriorated since the decision was taken to establish a working party to look into it.

Officers, he said, were facing what amounted to a 20 per cent reduction in pay over the last decade and were unable to take industrial action, lobby politicians or make public comment on policy.

“Police officers should not have to rely on overtime, they should not have to use food banks, they should not have to buy second hand toys for their children at Christmas.” – Former Chief Constable Gary Roberts

Mr Roberts told the minister that without a ‘swift and considered response’ to rising cost pressures officers would ‘increasingly rapidly’ leave the service.

He also explained the aggregate cost of an officer who leaves after five years’ service was around a third of a million pounds.

In response Minister Poole-Wilson told Manx Radio: "Both I and the Council of Ministers take this matter very seriously.

“Following on from the chief constable’s letter the department worked closely with the Police Federation and senior police officers to consider how best to address this significant issue.

“I hope to be able to provide an update to Tynwald when I move the Chief Constable’s annual report at the July sitting."