The trade in drugs remains the most significant threat to the safety of the Isle of Man.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts says work on combatting the risk of organised crime in the Isle of Man must be ’relentless’.

Mr Roberts has produced his latest annual report, which covers the financial year 2019/20.

In his report to Tynwald, the Chief Constable said that criminal groups ’largely, but not wholly, based in Merseyside supply large amounts of Class A and Class B drugs to the Isle of Man’.

He added: ’Small, organised groups exist here and they seek to make profits from their work.

’These profits can be large; one of our operations at Douglas harbour led to the seizure of over £700,000 of cocaine, which had a 74% purity level.

’This would have been cut into multiple deals, bringing in well over £1m in cash. This was our largest ever seizure of cocaine and the removal of such a significant amount makes a difference, but only for a comparatively short time.’

Mr Roberts said that while profits rise, gangs will continue to seek to sell more drugs on the island.

He added: ’This is why our work on combatting the importation of Class A drugs must be relentless.

’The harm caused by the drugs and by the people who trade in them cannot easily be overstated.’

As well as health problems, addiction often leads to debt and violence for users or spills into crime such as theft and robbery.

Mr Roberts said that the three successive year on year increases in violent crime is ’directly linked to the supply of drugs’. However most victims don’t engage with the police.

The police have received anonymous data from the hospital which has supported the link between violent attacks and drugs.

The Chief Constable said: ’The increased violence does not affect ordinary, law-abiding people.

’Safety levels are still hugely high and people living here enjoy a way of life and a sense of safety that must be the envy of very many people elsewhere.

’Recorded crime is still only a third or so of that seen in the safest parts of the United Kingdom. It remains well below half the levels seen at the turn of the century.’

Mr Roberts’ said in his report that there were ’120 more violent offences recorded during the year, 83 of which were in the lowest category of assaults’.

The lack of engagement from victims of violent assaults, is causing issues for the police, but Mr Roberts said ’there is little doubt that much of this increase was linked to the collection of drug debts’.

However he added: ’Where evidence existed, every possible effort was made to bring prosecutions, either for a substantive assault charge, or for a public order offence.’