The Future of Politics. Charles Kennedy

      Thames Valley Police have been one of the leading innovators in this area. A couple of years ago they ran a pilot restorative justice scheme in Aylesbury, focusing particularly on young offenders committing shop theft. They held almost 170 restorative cautions or conferences involving the offender, their family and the victim. The initial results were telling. Re-offending fell to 4 per cent, compared to 35 per cent in other parts of the country. Equally importantly, the scheme was popular with people who had been the victims of crime.

      The well-worn cry for ‘more Bobbies on the beat’ still rings true, but it only provides a partial solution: it is not, and never has been, a panacea for reducing crime. Nonetheless the role of the police is vital. That is why Labour’s promise to be ‘tough on crime’ rings so hollow now. In opposition they pledged more police officers. After three years in power there were 1,600 fewer police on the beat than when they came to office. That is a dreadful betrayal of the promise they made to the British people.