Once again officers from the Isle of Man Constabulary’s, 5 Neighbourhood Policing Teams were in action during a Highly Visible, Pro Active Intelligence led Policing initiative which was conducted over the past week. The operation commenced early on the evening of Friday 1st October 2010 and concluded on the evening of Friday 8th October 2010. During the operation 8 people were arrested for a number of offences ranging from assault, drugs offences, failing to appear at Court and the non payment of court fines. Throughout the week a police presence was maintained at the Douglas Sea Terminal focusing on providing a highly visible police presence together with Customs and Excise. Drug detection dogs screened both passengers and their luggage arriving on the island in an effort to disrupt and deter criminal activity. Regular officers were assisted by Members of the Special Constabulary helping to maintain the normal patrol service. The daily policing activity commenced at around 5.30am and concluded at around midnight. The early evening saw officers from the Road Policing Unit combing resources with the Neighbourhood policing teams and PSV examiners from the Department of Infrastructure. In excess of 80 vehicle checks were conducted across the island. Officers took the opportunity to speak to the drivers of vehicles and issued leaflets with simple crime prevention advice. A police spokesman stated “This has been the most ambitious Operation Deflect to date. The operation has utilised more staff from across the Island and has tackled more local issues during the week than ever before.” Sgt RICHARDS who coordinated the operation stated “Importantly day to day policing has been unaffected by the increased activity. It’s success has been due to the flexibility of the Neighbourhood policing teams and specialist police departments all working towards the same goal, keeping people safe.” ENDS