London Assembly Greens have asked the police to look at the best schemes when tackling crime in the capital.
Caroline Russell, when questioning Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, asked about Diversion Schemes. These move people caught committing minor offences away from the criminal justice system towards targeted support or treatment.
Caroline said:- “Do you think there are lessons to be learned with places like Thames Valley Police who have done a lot of work with diversion as opposed to criminalisation, for instance for possession of cannabis?”
The new Met Chief told Caroline that keeping people out of the criminal justice system is “a no-brainer.”
“When I was Chief Constable of Surrey… we created something which eventually became community resolutions. This isn’t about being sentimental or soft, this is about evidence, and the evidence is that on certain types of crime where you’ve got the right conditions in terms of the nature of the victim and the offender.”
Rowley said the scheme resulted in, “higher victim satisfaction and lower recidivism”. “Frankly if you’ve got both of those things, why wouldn’t you do it?”