Sergeant John Manley retires

The last police officer to prosecute for the chief constable in the Isle of Man's summary courts is retiring from the Manx force.

Sergeant John Manley earned the distinction at a magistrate's court in Douglas on June 17th this year.

After that, responsibility for prosecutions moved to the Attorney General's chambers, where Sergeant Manley took on a similar role, until his final court appearance in the middle of last month.

He joined the Isle of Man Constabulary in 1981 and served in a variety of roles as a constable, in Douglas, Willaston, where he was the resident officer for a number of years, the traffic department, Castletown and the control room.

As a sergeant he carried out duties in Douglas, operational support and prosecutions.

Sergeant Manley feels he saw the best of the Manx force when everybody was pulling together as a big team on major investigations.

He said: "One such moment was during the arrest of the EJ’s murderer Charles McCluskey.

"It was in the days when the police control room was operated by one police radio operator, and I was that radio operator the day the net closed on Mr McCluskey at the Ballakillowey roundabout in Rushen, 15 years ago.

"The police were tracking him along the Sloc Road and eventually snared him in a vehicle, with armed officers present during the arrest.

"For me it evokes the best memories of teamwork that is involved in bringing a successful conclusion to major enquiries."

Chief constable Mike Langdon has presented Sergeant Manley with his retirement certificate, which states: "Throughout his long career John has been consistently dedicated, professional and proud of his role as a police officer."