New Community Remedy Document for North Yorkshire and York

The aim of Community Remedy is to enable victims of low-level crime and ASB to have a greater say in how offenders should be held account for their actions.

The Community Remedy document lists the available actions that can be carried out by a person who has engaged in anti-social behaviour or committed an offence, admits to their involvement and is to be dealt with for that behaviour or offence without court proceedings.

Zoë Metcalfe, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and York said:

“Community Remedy provides a vital opportunity for victims to be consulted and input on the outcome and resolution to an anti-social behaviour offence. As Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner I am really pleased to support the initiative and encourage victims of crime to carefully consider using the options so that offending can be addressed and community safety restored.

“Launched during Restorative Justice week, my team and I ran a 6-week public consultation on the options for Community Remedy and using this feedback, I am confident these options are suitable for North Yorkshire and York. The local options provide victims with the opportunity to ensure justice and reparation for an offence, as well as an important opportunity for perpetrators to learn about the impact of the offence and change their behaviour in the future, without being criminalised through court proceedings.”

Lisa Winward, Chief Constable for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Anyone who has been a victim of a crime or anti-social behaviour will inevitably feel the impact of that event in some way. In some cases, just being able to share how it made them feel with a perpetrator or for a perpetrator to reflect on their actions and offer to put things right can be extremely powerful in the healing process and allow people to move on. Likewise, there are often underlying reasons why perpetrators commit acts of crime or anti-social behaviour that could be more effectively explored and resolved through use of Community Remedy. That is why Community Remedy can be a more meaningful resolution to some victims and perpetrators than other criminal justice outcomes and can be more effective in keeping people safe and feeling safe.”

In line with upcoming changes to Part 6 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the codes of practice that will sit alongside, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) and Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police (NYP) have taken the opportunity to review North Yorkshire’s Community Remedy document and options. The review has informed this final document which outlines the options available across North Yorkshire and York.

The options for Community Remedy are:

• Restorative Justice:
  • An opportunity to bring those harmed and those responsible for the harm into communication with each other, in a safe and supported way.
  • Those harmed may express their experience in an informal yet impactive way, whilst providing the opportunity to understand why the offender may have committed the crime/ ASB.  It also provides the offender the opportunity to hear from those harmed by their actions, to understand the impact of their actions and find a positive way forward. This can be facilitated directly or indirectly.
• Verbal or written apology to the victim.
• Signing an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) to enable an opportunity for the offender to make a positive change in their behaviour.
• Personal/Community Reparation – e.g. repairing or paying for damage caused or litter picking
• A referral to a local rehabilitative, educational or diversionary activity to support an improvement in behaviour e.g. diversionary/preventative youth activity, Anger Management programme, a community-based support scheme such as Crossroads Adult Diversion scheme or Change Direction Young Person’s Diversion Scheme that addresses behaviour and unmet needs or a substance misuse intervention.
• Mediation to support the resolution of disputes.

Read the latest Community Remedy Document for North Yorkshire and York on the Commissioner’s website: http://www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/CommunityRemedy/