Police caution overused when it comes to the young – councillor
Police should hand out fewer cautions to youngsters who have a brush with the law to give them a better chance in later life, a councillor has urged
Councillor Jeremy Pugh, an independent who represents Builth, told Dyfed-Powys' Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn, that changes need to be made to the way police cautions are used, so that people between the ages of 18 and 25 are not blacklisted.
Data given to Powys County Council’s economy residents, communities and governance scrutiny committee shows that public order offences in Powys have increased by 18.4 per cent in the last year.
Councillor Pugh, said: “I’m of the mindset that our youngsters get cautioned disproportionately in the rural community to help get the figures to look good.
“The days of a police officer coming to your home and speaking to you and your parents are long gone.
“If they go for a job you can see from a list they have been questioned in relation to a GBH incident where they may have been trying to stop it.
“This has a huge effect on our youngsters later in life, they can’t drive buses, become schoolteachers.”
Mr Llywlelyn said he agreed “wholeheartedly” with Cllr Pugh and explained a new scheme being “pushed” by the Ministry of Justice to get away from simple cautions.
Mr Llywelyn explained: “You won’t be able to conclude an investigation with a simple caution in the future, there will either be conditions set against it. Or there will be an opportunity of an out of court disposal route, so that the individual does not necessarily have that criminal record.”
Mr Llywelyn revealed he would be commissioning a service called ‘Pathfinder’ starting in November which would divert individuals at the lower end of offending out of the criminal justice process.
Second chance
He added: “This is an opportunity to give people a second chance.
“Under the age of 18 people are dealt with by youth services (council run).
“If they are in school or college they would be dealt with by the school beat police officer who will organise an restorative justice meeting with young people involved in any incident.
“That does not then negatively show up in an employment check.”
Former criminology lecturer, Mr Llywelyn explained that people from the ages of 12 to 25 are more likely to come into contact with the police
He said that once a person is known to the authorities they are more likely to be involved in future investigations.
He added: “South Wales Police have been running a pilot scheme where those aged between 18 and 25 are treated similarly to those under 18, and it’s seen as a great success.
“And I’m hoping that the new service in November will be just as successful.”
