There has been a dramatic fall in the number of young people cautioned by police over the past five years.

In 2015, the number of cautions issued to people under 21 was 117. That rocketed to 196 in 2016 and was still high, at 168, the following year.

But from 2018 there has been a huge drop, with 90 in that year and 56 in 2019. So far, in 2020, the figure is only 25.

Home Affairs Minister Graham Cregeen (pictured), the political head of the police force, said: ’Changes have been made to how young people are dealt with when they come to police attention and a range of preventative, diversionary and restorative measures are used instead of, or in conjunction with, formal cautions, which is why the number of cautions has reduced.’

He was responding in a written answer to a Tynwald question from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew).