Seventy-five violent crimes committed in Cheshire West and Chester last year were resolved out of court by the offenders simply making amends to their victims.

More than 500 such crimes across the whole county have been dealt with using restorative justice – also known as common sense policing – in the past two years, according to figures released to the Chronicle under the Freedom of Information Act.

Restorative justice is a process which focuses on the rehabilitation of criminals through communicating with victims and agreeing a resolution rather than having to go through the courts.

Helps to achieve closure

This often involves a face to face meeting and is designed to help the victim achieve closure on the incident and for the offender to empathise with the victim as well as to accept responsibility for their actions and apologise.

The number of violent crimes in Cheshire dealt with through restorative justice stood at 216 in 2014-15, down from 357 in 2013-14.

Cheshire West and Chester saw the largest number of instances in the county in which violent crimes were resolved using this method, with 75 in 2014-15, down from 132 in 2013-2014.

In theory any crime can be at least partially resolved by means of restorative justice, but it is most commonly used to deal with minor offences such as shoplifting and criminal damage.

The victims of the crime have to agree to undertake the process and can be given compensation by the offender as a way of resolving the crime.

Victim-centred resolution

Cheshire Constabulary integrated offender management strategic manager Kyla Hall explained: “Restorative Justice is victim-centred, it is their involvement and our commitment to focus on what is right for our victims which determines whether this approach is the best possible option.

“Each case is dealt with on its own merits and victims are consulted throughout the process which means that whilst every victim of crime fitting the criteria for a restorative approach is offered this opportunity, this will not always be the most suitable under the circumstances.”

More than 48,000 cases in England and Wales

The figures revealed that a total of 48,330 cases of violent crime have been resolved through restorative justice across England and Wales in the past two years.

However, as some police forces either failed to respond or refused the request, the actual number is likely to be much higher.

Some forces included sexual offences, with Cambridgeshire Police recording instances in which sexual assaults on children under the age of 13 were resolved through restorative justice.

While this seems shocking, it is likely that the offenders in these cases were also young children as opposed to adults.

What are your views on restorative justice? Let us know in the comments below.