North Wales Police seen as 'too focused' on speeding

North Wales Police has spent too long in the past chasing performance targets and handing out speeding tickets, its chief constable says.

Mark Polin, who took over from Richard Brunstrom last November, has been trialling a new "restorative justice" policy.

The scheme allows officers to deal with certain minor offences without taking offenders to court.

Mr Polin said he wanted to improve confidence in the force.

He said the scheme allowed his officers to focus on the things "that really matter" in their communities.

Training courses for police officers giving them guidance on the new approach are already under way.

Mr Polin said the restorative justice scheme represented a change in emphasis for the force.

He said: "Even if it's not the reality, the perception of the organisation is that we've been blindly pursuing speed enforcement tickets.

"This is about allowing our officers to focus on the things that really matter to our communities.

"It's about ensuring that actually our officers on the road policing unit don't think they have to sit on a slipway on the A55 to pursue tickets because they're being counted.

"It's about affording them the discretion and flexibility to actually work with our neighbourhood policing teams to respond to matters that truly concern our communities."

Gareth Griffiths, an officer in the Bala area, said it was a return to an old style of policing.

'Apologising'

He said: "I think it's an excellent idea. It goes back to the way we used to work in the 80s when I joined the force.

"It's a good idea to keep people out of the courts for minor offences, saves us time and it is good for the public."

The officers' use of discretion has won the approval of Derwyn Owen, who owns an old chapel in Pentraeth.

When a teenager damaged the chapel door by setting a crisp packet alight, a decision was taken not to pursue the matter through the courts.

Mr Owen said: "He came here to tidy up the mess and wrote me a letter apologising for his actions.

"I think it was perfectly appropriate considering the nature of the damage. Had there been more damage of course I would have expected the police to act with vigour."

'Confidence'

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said it was awaiting the findings of a UK government-commissioned review into out of court disposals that included restorative approaches.

The spokesman added: "For many low-level crimes, restorative approaches can be used to help young people think about the consequences of their actions, understand the impact that they have had on their victim, and help put things right.

"This in turn prevents re-offending, and raises the confidence of both victims and the wider community.

"The service continues to work with its partners with a focus on early intervention and prevention, including pilot schemes for youth restorative disposals."

Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the new restorative justice measures in north Wales should help reduce crime in communities.

She said: "Paying back and making amends to victims is an effective way to ensure offenders face up to what they have done.

"Evidence from well-established restorative justice work with under 18 year olds in Northern Ireland shows a drop in youth crime, a reduction in the number of young people in custody and a 90% victim satisfaction rate."