Chief Constable Gary Roberts has said he is ’very proud’ of his officers and refuted any claims the island has become a police state.

Some people have used social media to criticise the actions of the police during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Roberts said his officers were working in testing times but that ’most people’ are adhering to the rules on social distancing. He added that any laws requiring a further clampdown on movement would be a ’failure’ of the current regulations.

The Chief Constable praised residents who have stayed at home and complying with the rules which he said ’makes our job easier’.

While some people have claimed the police have been heavy handed with their approach to the rules, Mr Roberts said that his officers were focusing on engaging people who are in public and encouraging them to stay or go home. ’Enforcement always comes last’, he added.

Mr Roberts said that the constabulary ’can only police by consent’ and added ’but we have not become a police state overnight’. He said that his officers still have to police the island once the pandemic is over and if they lost the trust of the public, it would damage the force for a long time.

However, he did also say that the tolerance of offices ’will only go so far’ and that people who continuously refuse to practice social distancing ’will go to court’.

During his appearance at today’s press conference, Mr Roberts said that overall crime is down by 50% and road crashes are down 85%. However, he said that the rise in domestic offences (up 71%) was worrying.

Mr Roberts also encouraged people to stay at home this Easter despite the good weather. He said: ’We are not in this forever. Hold your nerve’

We have more on Chief Constable Gary Robert’s press conference in Thursday’s Manx Independent, available in shops and online from Thursday morning.