It’s Mannin Line with Andy Wint - Thursday 27th February 2026

February 26, 2026·52 min·4 clips

Cocaine costs three times more on the streets of Douglas than in Merseyside, raising questions about a hidden public health crisis.

So, who is coming in? That is the question under the opening exchange, as Andy Wint puts proposed port checks to Chief Constable Ross Foster. Foster is fairly blunt. He says the island does not properly know who is arriving, leaving, or already here, and he supports ID checks. From there, the line shifts to staffing. The Chief Constable says police recruitment has changed because of pay, competition with other sectors, and the need to reach a wider group of applicants. Starting pay has gone up. Student officers now begin at just over £35,000, he says, rising to just over £50,000 after three years. That changes the sort of people who look at the job. Foster talks about applicants from other professions, people with higher education, and a broader mix of candidates. Retired officers are part of the answer too. A rejoiner policy is being used to keep experienced officers in the organisation after pensionable service, while newer officers build their confidence and competence. Recruitment is not just local. Foster says the force has run pop-up workshops in the North, the Midlands, and the South of the UK, alongside campaigns around the island. There is a local invitation as well, with interested people pointed toward the Lodge, the Learning Education Development Centre on Braddon Road, at 1.30pm. Age gets a quick mention. Foster says the upper age limit is now around 60, which opens the door beyond the usual early-career route. The final subject is much tougher. Foster responds to criticism over officers destroying a bull at the meat plant. He says it was not cruelty, and that the animal was already due to be destroyed. His explanation is operational: staff at the plant could not finish the job, so police were used as a contingency with appropriate weaponry. Safety closes the point. Rifles and projectiles carry risks beyond the animal, so officers had to think about the backdrop before acting.

As heard by us

A radio conversation where ports, police pay, and hard public questions are answered plainly.

Mannin Line settles into an open radio conversation with Chief Constable Ross Foster about port checks, who is coming and going, recruitment, and the questions tied to all three.

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Need a frank look at border ID checks, police recruitment, and island security from live local radio?

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