The event, attended by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, will highlight the benefits of using restorative justice in neighbourhood policing. In cases where both the victim and offender agree, a restorative conference brings both parties together, along with other certain individuals such as parents, in a process which is facilitated by a trained police officer, PCSO or trained volunteer. The meeting holds the offender personally accountable to the victim and local community for the harm they have caused and for making amends. Real life case studies presented to delegates during the event, including the attached, will demonstrate that using a restorative approach can substantially cut costs, save police time, tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce repeat offending, whilst providing the majority of victims who take part with a satisfactory resolution. These benefits have also been recognised through research conducted by Lawrence Sherman, Wolfson Professor of Criminology at Cambridge University. DCC Jim Barker-McCardle, Director of Policing, Policy and Practice at the NPIA said: "Restorative approaches are not only cost-effective as they can substantially reduce repeat call outs to incidents of anti-social behaviour and minor crime but they also allow those who work on the frontline of neighbourhood policing to address the concerns of all those affected by crime in their community." ACC Steve Mortimore, Director of the NPIA Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policing Programme, said: "Neighbourhood policing is about serving the local community. A restorative approach ensures victims feel that something is being done to address their concerns at a personal level, and usually improves their confidence in the criminal justice system. It can often result in a more positive outcome for both the victim and the offender" Sir Charles Pollard QPM, former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police and Chairman of Restorative Solutions Community Interest Company, the not-for-profit organisation which promotes the use of restorative justice, said: "Restorative justice, where offenders are held personally accountable for the harm they have caused in face-to-face meetings with their victims, is a vital part of neighbourhood policing. It is often tougher for offenders to have to face up to what they have done in this way than attending court." Sir Charles Pollard introduced Restorative Justice for tackling young offenders in the Thames Valley Police region in the 1990s. Notes to Editors: NPIA works for the police service and is governed by a tripartite board comprising ACPO, APA, Home Office and independent members. The ACPO President is a member of the NPIA Board. About Restorative Solutions Restorative Solutions is a community interest company working on a not-for-profit basis for the common good, delivering practical training to frontline professionals and volunteers to develop restorative approaches to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and other disputes in the community. About RAiN RAiN (Restorative Approaches in Neighbourhoods) is a new model of Restorative Justice for use specifically in Neighbourhood Policing and other community applications. It is aimed at tackling low level crime, drugs & anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods. Working in partnership with the NPIA and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the project aims to show the long-term benefits of using restorative approaches in the community context. The project was launched in April 2008 and has funding until 2010 with ongoing evaluation being carried out by the Police Foundation.
About NPIA
NPIA is a single national organisation created to support effective policing. It provides expertise in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people.
