Community Resolution seeks to prevent re-offending by encouraging the suspect to think about their behaviour. It is, therefore, most appropriate for suspects who have little or no previous offending history.
A Community Resolution Notice (CRN) can be issued to someone 10 years or over for a specified range of offences. The offences for which they can be used and the criteria for doing so has been agreed between PSNI and PPS.
Community Resolution provides a quicker, more victim tailored method of dealing with specific offences than a formal prosecution, where a comparatively minor crime has been committed and an agreement (resolution) is reached regarding how the suspects can make good the loss, damage or harm caused to the victim.
Community Resolution seeks to deliver the following objectives:
a) To improve the involvement and quality of service provided to victims by taking account of their views where reasonable and proportionate in the resolution;
b) To increase victim satisfaction in policing and criminal justice by providing a comparatively prompt and tailored resolution;
c) To provide a proportionate justice disposal for suspect’s with little or no previous offending history, to reduce the impact on their lives compared to other non-court disposals and encourages them to change their behaviour and not re-offend,&;
d) To provide officers with a proportionate disposal for offences which are comparatively less serious.