Out of Court Resolutions (OoCR) scrutiny panel

The Out of Court Resolutions (OoCR) scrutiny panel is a group set up by the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to check how out of court resolutions are used by the police in Cheshire. This helps make sure justice is fair, transparent and works well for victims and communities.

What are Out of  Court Resolutions?

Out of court resolutions are ways for the police to deal with low-level crime or anti-social behaviour without taking the person to court.

They are only used when:

• The offender is known, and
• They admit the offence, and
• The victim agrees

Examples of these resolutions include:

• Conditional cautions
• Community resolutions
• Youth cautions

These options focus on helping victims, repairing harm and preventing future offending. Information on how you can request an out of court resolution as a victim of crime can be found here.

What the panel does

The Panel independently reviews a random selection of cases where an out of court resolution has been used. They are not there to re-try cases or change decisions. Instead, they look at whether the police’s use of the resolution was:

1. Appropriate and consistent with police and legal policies
2. Appropriate but with useful comments or observations
3. Not appropriate based on the information available at the time.

This helps build confidence and trust in the way these decisions are made.

The Panel can give feedback or suggestions for improvement. For example, about training, policy or practice, but it cannot overturn individual case decisions.

Who takes part

Each Panel includes people from different organisations involved in the criminal justice system, such as:

• The Cheshire PCC team
• Police
• Crown Prosecution Service
• Magistrates
• Restorative justice providers
• Youth Justice Service

There are usually four panels covering different areas of Cheshire, including a Youth Panel to look at cases involving young people.

Outcomes

See the outcomes from the Out of Court Resolutions Panels below.

Why it matters

This Panel helps make sure that out of court solutions are used fairly and well. That victims’ views are considered, and that police decisions match legal and ethical standards. By reviewing cases independently and publicly recording  their findings. The Panel builds transparency, accountability and trust in how these alternatives to court are used.

Additional documents