The Isle of Man Constabulary have issued a warning following an emerging trend of children taking vehicles and driving around the Island with little or no experience.
The warning has been posted following an incident on Monday (June 24) where two young males stole a vehicle, which resulted in the Police intercepting them, deploying a “stinger” and a minor collision.
The tactics utilised were done so by trained officers, and followed a careful a risk assessment, weighing up the risk to public if Police let them continue, potentially harming themselves or others, against if the Police took action to stop prevent or reduce this risk.
Emerging trend
The police say that the incident could have had a catastrophic ending, resulting in members of the public being seriously injured or worse.
Children taking vehicles and driving around the Island with little or no experience is an extremely dangerous thing to do, however the constabulary say it seems to be an emerging trend on various media platforms.
It added that secondly this resulting in a large number of Police resources being used, leaving other members of the public genuinely requiring Police help waiting longer than they should have.
The police recommends people should:
- Keep your vehicle locked
- Not leave keys inside the vehicle
- Are you a parent? Could your child get hold of your car keys easily?
- Do you know what your children are up to? Have you overheard them talking about taking cars?
The constabulary ask the public to be ‘extra vigilant’ to prevent vehicles being taken without the owners consent.
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