Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-2023
Priority 5: Dealing with offending
Why is it a priority?
The causes of offending are very broad and complex so it is important that a range of organisations work together to help prevent offending and re-offending. Once someone has begun offending, there is a greater chance that they will re-offend. In Buckinghamshire nearly a quarter of those who commit a crime will go on to re-offend.
In 2018/19 in Buckinghamshire, 8,994 individuals were suspected of carrying out the reported crimes. Of these, one third were suspected of committing more than one crime. This is equivalent to an average of 3.8 crimes each. This is a 5% increase in the last five years. One out of every two identified suspects re-offended within five years and a third of recorded suspects were also reported as victims. This is higher for violence suspects, repeat suspects and women.
What we plan to do
We will:
- Work with professionals to improve their understanding of the social factors influencing vulnerability, exploitation and offending to encourage earlier intervention.
- Work to reduce the number of first-time entrants to the criminal justice system. Find new ways of preventing young people from entering the system so better outcomes can be achieved for them and the wider community.
- Ensure that people at risk of offending and of becoming involved in more serious crime are prioritised and managed to ensure any exploitation or vulnerability is addressed first before any criminal proceedings are pursued.
- Support offenders with accommodation, training, employment and other services.
- Support the development and implementation of approaches that meet the specific needs of female offenders.
- Continue to use restorative practices to empower victims, support community resolutions and reduce levels of reoffending through confronting offenders with the impact of their behaviour.
- Increase the number of offenders accessing services for treatment for substance misuse and mental health, with a focus on those referred from custody and those suitable for community sentence treatment requirements.