Data from the Police has revealed a fluctuating trend in drug-related arrests, charges, and convictions among young people over the past five years.
The figures, provided by the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Jane Poole-Wilson, highlight concerns around youth involvement in drug offences.
Between 2020 and 2024, arrests for those aged 19 to 29 peaked at 127 in 2020 before dropping to 74 in 2023, only to rise again to 101 in 2024.
Younger age groups showed similar volatility, with under-16 arrests falling from 41 in 2020 to 15 in 2022, then climbing to 25 in 2024.
Charges
Charges and convictions followed a different pattern.
While arrests for 19 to 29-year-olds declined, charges rose steadily, reaching 177 in 2024. Convictions for this group peaked at 148 in 2023.
Among 17 to 18-year-olds, convictions spiked at 25 in 2023, up from 15 in 2020.
Sentencing data showed custodial sentences were most common for older offenders.
In 2024, 38 people aged 19 to 29 received jail terms, compared to just seven in the 17 to 18 bracket. Probation orders and suspended sentences were less frequent, with only four probation orders issued to 19 to 29-year-olds in 2024.
Mrs Poole-Wilson noted limitations in the data, stating: “As the Isle of Man Constabulary moved to a new IT system in 2019, data is not consistently held for the years 2017–2019.”
She added that resource constraints prevented fuller analysis.
The figures underscore ongoing challenges in tackling drug-related crime among young people, with sentencing outcomes varying significantly by age.
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