ACPO comment on Criminal Justice Joint Inspection report Exercising Discretion: The Gateway to Justice

ACPO lead for out of court disposals, Deputy Chief Constable Chris Weigh, said:

“This report is a helpful contribution to the debate on how the police service use out of court disposals and restorative justice to respond to crime. It recognises that there are circumstances in which the public sees the value in out of court disposals, especially in the context of a first offence, and that these methods can lead to high levels of victim satisfaction and a reduction in reoffending.

“Prosecution before the courts is not always the right answer to minor offences or in particular circumstances. There are a range of out of court disposals available to police officers and their use does vary across England and Wales which is partly explained by the different styles of policing adopted by individual chief officers, who must respond to the specific issues within their local force areas.

“We would recognise that the growth of out of court disposals has been in a piecemeal fashion and we await the outcomes of the consultation on the sentencing green paper and will work with legislators to introduce any changes that are made.

“Although a one size fits all approach should be treated with caution, chief officers would welcome the introduction of a flexible framework for out of court disposals which would allow them, with their police authority, to choose how best to deal with low-level offence types. It is important that any framework preserves the ability of operational police officers to use their professional judgement and exercise their discretion.“

The latest data shows a reduction in the use of out of court disposals in 2010.

http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-stats-quarterly-dec10.pdf

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk