DHA to consider applicability of UK policing reforms on IOM

Officers in England and Wales could include 'licences' for officers to be able to continue working

The Department of Home Affairs says it's considering whether to apply the UK's policing reforms to the Isle of Man.

Faster 999 response times and 'licences' for officers are among the measures to be announced in England and Wales today (Monday 26 January).

As the BBC reports, the UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also wants to get officers to spend more time on the streets, cutting the 'red tape' and 'unnecessary admin' she says prevents them leaving their stations.

Police there will be given targets to respond to emergencies within 15 minutes in urban areas, and 20 minutes in rural areas, as part of a major overhaul.

It's said to be a response to an epidemic of 'everyday crime', such as shoplifting and phone theft, which the home secretary said was going 'unpunished'.

She says the new targets are needed because people are reporting crimes and then 'waiting hours or even days for a response'.

Most forces in the UK already have emergency response targets, but the British Home Office says there isn't currently a way of holding them accountable if they do not meet that standard.

Failure to reach the new targets would see the home secretary sending in experts from high performing forces to help improve response times.

The changes include plans for every police officer in England and Wales to hold a licence to be able to continue working, and will have to prove they have the right skills in issues such as tackling violence against women, or they will face being removed from their job. 

Shabana Mahmood also wants to change how staffing levels are funded amid concern the current 'officer maintenance grant' encourages some forces to employ uniformed officers in administrative roles such as IT or human resources.

Here on the Isle of Man, the DHA says it maintains an approach of broad alignment to British policing to ensure consistent standards and effective interoperability. 

However, in a statement, it says there are some areas that will differ, reflecting local context.

It says it will review all changes made and consider their applicability on the Isle of Man, but given the early stages of the policy it wouldn't be appropriate to comment further at this time.