The Police face a structural budget deficit of approximately £1.35m after unfunded police officer pay increases created a shortfall of about £2.7m.
Following a sustained period of austerity beginning in 2010, police officer pay remained largely static for a number of years.
Financial assumptions developed during this prolonged period of pay restraint did not anticipate subsequent uplifts introduced in recent years to maintain parity with Home Office forces in England and Wales.
The report states: “When combined with other unfunded workforce pressures, including increases in on-call payments, this has resulted in a circa £2.7 million budget deficit for the IOMC.”
Pressures
Due to wider fiscal pressures and competing priorities across Government, only 50% of this deficit has been secured for the 2026-27 financial year, leaving a structural deficit of an estimated £1.35m.
Chief Constable Russ Foster said: “I welcome the work already underway with the DHA to resolve this issue within the financial year 2026-27 and ensure that future settlements reflect the true costs of delivering policing across the Island.”
The report notes: “It is accepted that there are prevailing budgetary pressures across government departments. However, against a backdrop of criticality and complexity, the IOMC has maintained its operational effectiveness with the goodwill of our officers and support staff.”
Gaps in establishment have been bridged with officers working extended shifts and having their rest days cancelled.
Despite these financial pressures, the government approved business cases for growth in specialist investigative areas including additional resources for the Protecting Vulnerable People Investigation Team, the Digital Forensics Unit, and the Proactive International Money Laundering Investigation Team.
However, a business case for five Inspectors to undertake the role of Force Incident Manager was turned down.