Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey has praised Cleveland Police for increasing work with offenders in the community.
Matt has commended the “substantial” work taken by the police to increase the number of Out of Court Resolutions (OoCRs) in less than a year.
OoCRs are used for lower-level incidents or first time offences. They keep offences – and offenders – out of an over-burdened court system while focussing on rehabilitation rather than purely punishment.
They cover a range of community-based solutions including cautions, fixed penalty notices, offences taken into consideration and educational/diversionary schemes such as Divert, which aim to address the root causes of offending.
In addition, police can refer people into drug treatment and recovery services or ask them to take part in restorative justice – where victims and offenders meet either directly or indirectly to discuss the impact of the crime.
Increase on previous year
In the year to April 2026, 2,159 incidents – or 2.9% of the total dealt with by Cleveland Police -were finalised with an OoCR. That marked a 39% increase on the previous year.
The PCC told senior officers at a scrutiny meeting in May this year that he was “assured” that substantial work had taken place in this area and that the force’s approach to OoCRs was now moving in the right direction.
The latest scrutiny followed a meeting in September 2025 on the same topic. At that time, Matt said he was “not assured” that improvement plans drawn up by the force had not resulted in greater use of out-of-court tools and processes.
Significant Amount of Work
Cleveland PCC Matt Storey said: “A significant amount of work has been undertaken to ensure officers increasingly recognise that arrest is not always the most effective or proportionate first choice to deal with an offender.
“Work is now taking place to show officers that OoCRs have value and can deliver swift, meaningful justice while reducing unnecessary demand on the court system.”
Chief Inspector David Snaith has responsibility for out of court resolutions at Cleveland Police.
He said: “Cleveland Police will continue to use the full range of powers available to us to tackle criminality and keep our communities safe.
“Out-of-court disposals can be an effective way of dealing with low-level crime, alongside community rehabilitation, financial penalties, and restorative justice. They help to free up court capacity for more serious offences, while ensuring offenders are held accountable, criminality is appropriately punished, and victims see meaningful outcomes.
“Where an out-of-court disposal is not the most appropriate approach, we will consider the full range of options available across the criminal justice system and take swift action to protect and benefit our communities.”
The PCC will re-visit the topic next year to make sure the force maintains its progress.