Police were not 'gung ho' in policing Covid rules

Enforcement action against 0.13 per cent of population

Enforcement action for people caught breaking Covid-19 rules was taken against less than one per cent of the Isle of Man's population.

The Isle of Man Constabulary says the statistics quash a belief by some that police were 'gung ho' in their approach to policing the pandemic.

Prosecution, or the issuing of fixed penalty notices, was taken against 0.13 per cent of the population - 0.91 per cent were given warnings as a precursor to enforcement.

Chief constable Gary Roberts said officers were conscious not to criminalise people who were normally law-abiding citizens.

And he says sentencing for Covid offences was a matter for the courts: