VICTIMS of crime in North Yorkshire need more say in how police deal with offenders outside of court, a new report says.

Out of Court Disposals (OCDs), are a way for police around the country to deal with low level offenders without tying up the court system.

They often involve fixed penalty notices, fines, and community resolutions, and a scrutiny report shows their use has improved in recent years.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan set up the OCD Scrutiny Panel in 2014, chaired by solicitor Jonathan Mortimer, and over the last year the panel has reviewed a number of cases to determine whether the use of OCD was “appropriate, proportionate, and lead to the right outcome for victims and offenders in line with national guidance and local policy”.

The results showed improvements in the way North Yorkshire Police use the disposals since the initial review in 2014-2015.

It found the number of OCDs given against national guidelines had fallen from 3.84 per cent to 0.6 per cent, and the number of cases which saw officers use their discretion to issue an OCD inappropriately was roughly the same - five per cent, compared to 5.28 per cent.

However, in four per cent of cases the panel was “certain that the views of the victim had not been adequately taken into account”. This is a reduction on the 2015 level (9.1 per cent), but the panel was “unsure” in 39 per cent of cases “whether the views of the victim had been taken into account properly”.

The number of times OCDs were used inappropriately fell from 8.15 per cent to six per cent.

Mrs Mulligan said: “I remain concerned victims’ views aren’t sought on every occasion, nor are those views always recorded well on police systems. I will continue to keep a very close eye on this area of police business.”

Jonathan Mortimer said: “OCDs should not be used as an easy time-saving response to crime by the police. Their use must be proportionate and take into account the views of the victim.

"We have found some room for improvement, particularly as far as the victim is concerned and with careless driving offences, but it is clear that on the whole the system is being used correctly to deal with low-level offending here in North Yorkshire.”

The panel said there was “a high level of satisfaction”, and that “on the whole...OCDs were exercised appropriately”.