Isle of Man Police inspection: UK involvement 'a retrograde step'

The Isle of Man Constabulary was last independently reviewed in 2007

Having a UK body review Isle of Man Constabulary's performance is the "most retrograde step" the island could take, the House of Keys speaker has said.

The force and the Manx fire service are to be inspected by the UK's HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Tynwald has been told.

Juan Watterson SHK said the "UK model of policing" was not one the Isle of Man "would want to emulate".

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said the review would be "a good thing".

The island's fire service and constabulary were last subject to an external review in 2007.

A date for the inspection to take place has not been set.

'Broken and failed'

Questioning the decision to bring in the UK inspectorate, Mr Watterson said being "judged by their standards is about the most retrograde step we could take", as Manx police were "some of the best in the British Isles" in terms of bringing safety to the island and keeping crime rates low.

"These are things that other places are not coming close to," he said.

He added that as the UK saw only one in five burglaries get a police attendance, compared to the "100% attendance for serious crime" seen on the island, it was hard to see "what on earth we can expect to learn from a system that is as broken and failed as the UK".

Mr Quayle said "operational performance, effectiveness, policy and governance" would be examined in the review and the results would "inform the future structure" of the Department of Home Affairs, which has responsibility for the two services.

He said the decision to bring in UK inspectors was "something that I've discussed with the Chief Constable and this is the best way forward".

"Yes, the UK is far from perfect, but there are procedures and ways of doing things," he added.