Community resolutions being used for violent offences

One in eight violent offences are being dealt with through community sentencing, such as police officers accompanying perpetrators as they apologise to victims, according to research by the Labour party.

Freedom of Information (FoI) requests answered by 33 police forces in England and Wales found that incidents including domestic violence, knife crime and grievous bodily harm (GBH) were sometimes treated with lesser sentences that did not require court proceedings, despite such action contravening guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Restorative justice and other community-based measures have increased sharply since the Coalition came to power, increasing from 13,420 in 2009 to 22,673 in 2010 and reaching 33,733 last year, 10,160 of which involved cases where serious injury was caused.

Shadow Home Yvette Cooper Secretary warned the “extremely serious” figures raised significant concerns over potential pressure on the police to deal with violent offences less seriously.

“There has been a massive increase in the number of serious and violent crimes dealt with just by community resolution ever since the police cuts started – breaking all the expert guidance and promises from ministers,” she said.

“Offenders who admit to serious and violent crimes – including knife crime, domestic violence, and serious assault – are increasingly being let off with no criminal record, no justice, and not even a caution. That’s bad for justice, bad for victims, and goes against all the evidence.”

Ms Cooper claimed the use of community justice measures for violent offences threatens the effectiveness of such methods in dealing with low-level incidents, such as anti-social behaviour, and “risks perpetrating” serious crimes like domestic violence. She called on Home Secretary Theresa May to issue guidance and “get serious about serious crime”.

“The evidence and ACPO guidance are very clear that these should not be used for serious crimes, and should not be used for domestic violence at all. To do so risks giving community resolutions a bad name,” she said.

“We know police forces are under pressure from the scale of cuts and demands to dispose of crimes. It is no coincidence that this big increase in community resolutions for serious crime comes at the same time as 15,000 officers are being lost.

“The police are doing less with less, and justice for serious crimes and vulnerable victims are being put at risk.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Crime continues to fall – recorded crime is down by more than ten per cent under this government and the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales shows crime is at its lowest level since records began.

“It is the responsibility of chief constables to ensure that community resolutions are used appropriately.
Through crime maps and police and crime commissioners, the public now has the means to hold them to account.”

Garry Shewan, ACPO lead on restorative justice and community resolutions, said the use of restorative justice measures “should be judged upon their outcomes”.

He said: “Community resolutions, including restorative justice, offer clear benefits to both victim and offender, and give police flexibility to deal with a variety of offences effectively.

“Guidelines are in place to help forces decide where the use of community resolutions might be appropriate, but in every case this decision will be victim led and above all reflect their views and wishes.

“While in the main they are used to deal with less serious offences, there is no simple formula. At times it may be necessary, and appropriate, to use such informal resolutions to deal with more serious cases. In such circumstances, it is far more than likely there will be a restorative justice element to the resolution.

“Many victims of crime tell us that they feel the criminal justice system and courts take over and they are left out, but meeting the offender can bring a degree of closure