The way that out of court disposals (OOCDs) of crimes have originated, and how local police forces have used them, have created a postcode lottery. So says the Home Affairs Select Committee of MPs in a report on out of court disposals. It is wrong that an offence committed in Cumbria should go to court, while the same offence, if it was committed in Gloucestershire, might be dealt with by a caution, say MPs.
Keith Vaz, Labour MP and chairman of the committee, said: “The inappropriate use of out of court disposals to deal with serious offences is unacceptable. It is alarming that they are not being used in the correct way in up to 30 per cent of cases. This has damaged public confidence in the police’s ability to tackle low level offending. Forces have been allowed to interpret guidance on out of court disposals in their own way, resulting in a postcode lottery across the UK in the way crimes are dealt with. It cannot be right that while an offence committed in Cumbria would go to court, in Gloucestershire it may be dealt with by a caution.
“We need a new out-of-courts disposal system which is a clear, escalatory process. This would give the police the opportunity to start from a clean slate, and allow them to tackle low-level offending appropriately. Scrutiny panels must be established in all police force areas, so that decisions to use OOCDs are appropriate and consistent across the country. We cannot allow the misuse of OOCDs in serious cases to continue. The public deserve to feel reassured that their local police forces are not tackling serious crimes with a slap on the wrist.”
For the report in full visit – http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmhaff/799/79902.htm
Comment
At the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the lead on Out of Court Disposals, Surrey Chief Constable Lynne Owens, gave evidence to the committee. She said after the report’s publication: “We are pleased that the report and the Committee Chair, in his press release, recognises the work already being piloted in three forces to simplify a complex system, make it easier to explain publicly and enhance the police’s ability to deliver rehabilitative options. We recognise the importance of localism and giving the public, notably the victim, a voice. Therefore, there will continue to be some differences between forces as they respond to local demand.
“While the report states that out of court disposals are being used incorrectly in 30 per cent of cases, this data comes in part from scrutiny panels, which have only been recently introduced with a remit to look at small samples of cases so they are not reflective of national trends. The other data used is from 2011.
“The new approach we are piloting will engage the victim in the process, require offenders to take responsibility for their actions and retain discretion for officers on the front line, which they use effectively and appropriately every day.” Visit http://www.acpo.police.uk/.
