There has been further significant drop in the island’s crime rate which was already at a 30-year low.
But Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson warned that budget cuts in future could hit neighbourhood policing which he said had played a major part in keeping the crime rate down.
Recorded crime in the island fell by a further 15.8 per cent during 2012-13, with substantial reductions across all the neighbourhood policing areas.
A total of 2,615 crimes were recorded, 412 fewer than for the same period last year, according to the Constabulary’s end of year crime performance statistics.
The overall detection rate for the 12 months to the end of March this year stood at 47.1 per cent – much higher than figures registered by police forces in England and Wales.
There was notable success in terms of combating burglary (down by 14 per cent compared with the previous year), public order offences (down by 17.5 per cent), theft (down by 21.4 per cent), assaults (down by 14.3 per cent) and criminal damage (down by 9.8 per cent).
But Mr Watterson said his department’s budget was predicted to be cut by about £2 million over the next three years.
Half of all the department’s spending is on the police and while £0.5 million of that could be achieved by making further efficiency savings, the Minister said the other half could only be made by reducing neighbourhood policing.
Mr Watterson said the Council of Ministers need to consider the impact of budget cuts on front line policing.
The downward trend in crime levels was reflected throughout the island with the busy Central NPT, responsible for Douglas, Onchan and Braddan, posting a decrease of 16.3 per cent, the Western team down 19 per cent, the Southern down 11.9 per cent and the Northern down 10.2 per cent.
Mr Watterson said : ‘We’re already acknowledged as one of the safest places to live in the British Isles and a further decrease of 15.8% represents fewer crimes, fewer victims and safer communities.’