Sexual offences rose by 18% on Isle of Man, data shows

Overall crime on the island fell by 6% during the past year

The number of sexual offences recorded on the Isle of Man has risen by 18% despite a drop in overall crime during the past year, police have said.

A total of 2,765 offences were recorded on the police database in 2021, a drop of 6% on the previous year.

There has been a decrease in all types of crime except for minor assaults, which rose by 2%, and sexual offences.

The figures were released in a summary of the constabulary's end of year data for 2021-22.

Serious assaults fell by 17%, while the number of commercial and domestic burglaries dropped to fewer than 70, which police said was the "lowest level in several decades".

Drugs worth about £600,000 were seized during this period, which is down from about £1m the year before.

The data also showed a 14% rise in road traffic collisions compared to the previous year when Covid lockdown restrictions were in place at times.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts said the figures showed that the island was a "supremely safe place, where we are able to enjoy an enviable quality of life".

The period had "felt much more like a normal year, after the challenges of 2020, when the island faced lengthy periods of lockdown and when crime levels soared in the summer", he added.

The full data is due to be published in the chief constable's annual report, which will be laid before Tynwald in October.