Police officers to receive one-off £3k pay award

Officers should receive the £3,000 pay award in August

Police officers on the Isle of Man are to be given a one-off £3,000 payment while pay negotiations continue.

Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson said the the move demonstrated a commitment to address the "immediate retention issue" within the Isle of Man Constabulary.

Chief Constable Russ Foster said he hoped it would "ease some of the financial burden experienced by our officers in the short term".

Treasury approved £600,000 of funding for the scheme, which will come from the island's contingency fund.

The award, set to be issued in August, is for every officer of the rank chief inspector and below, with a condition they must remain part of the Constabulary for 12 months.

Since January, 10 officers have resigned from the force, with seven having under five years of service and three serving between five and 15 years.

A government spokeswoman said many had cited low pay as the main incentive to leave, which was affecting the constabulary's ability "to plan for succession and to maintain an establishment of trained and effective officers".

'Longer-term improvements'

Police pay on the Isle of Man is linked to that in the UK due to a reciprocal agreement.

In a survey earlier in the year by the island's Police Federation, more than 100 officers said they felt underpaid and voiced concerns about the rising cost of living.

The Department of Home Affairs and the federation agreed to form a working party to address the concerns.

Ms Poole-Wilson said she was pleased to have made progress in securing the lump sum, which showed the department's "commitment to supporting and listening to our police force".

Mr Foster said the payment would ease some of the financial strain for officers, who "in real terms have seen a 20% reduction" in their pay since 2012, while the force works with government and the federation to make "longer-term improvements to police pay".