Thank you Frances, for your suggestion. While doing a "google" search I came up with a site listing all UK police force members who had been mentioned in news releases, etc. Found my man! Further enquiries led me to the Greater Manchester Police Museum and this morning received particulars of my ancestor's career as a member of their forces. Wonderful stuff! I had always been led to believe the gentleman in question was born on the IOM, however, turns out he was born in Ireland and lived most of his life in Manchester - he married a Manx lady and was buried in Onchan.