BRADFORD'S award-winning neighbourhood resolution panels are achieving a 90 per cent victim satisfaction rate and have dealt with 140 referrals since being set up in 2012.

The restorative justice scheme in district has been so successful it is being used as a model to roll the project out across West Yorkshire.

Panels bring victims and offenders together to agree what action should be taken to deal with certain types of low level crime and disorder, such as theft, criminal damage, public order offences and neighbourhood disputes.

In Bradford there are 80 volunteers, and as well as the 90 per cent victim satisfaction rate, 95 per cent of people do not re-offend after having been through the process.

In a report to Bradford Council's corporate overview and scrutiny committee, Steve Hartley, the authority's strategic director for environment and sport, states: "It is recognised nationally that restorative approaches have a significant impact on community safety outcomes. In Bradford these have included: reduced re-offending rates from people who have gone through a restorative process, high victim satisfaction rates, reduced repeat calls for service from the Police and reduced costs to public service.

"The approach in Bradford has been to engage local communities in a restorative process to resolve community issues."

More than half of the cases referred to the project have been neighbourhood disputes, and some have involved a low level crime.

Last month the county's Police and Crime Commissioner revealed that the success of the scheme in Bradford meant it was being rolled out across West Yorkshire.

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Police Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said: “We are now looking at implementing the pioneering work that has been done in Bradford in the rest of West Yorkshire. Bradford has been a pioneer in this area."

Of the 80 active volunteers in the programme 74 per cent are female, with the largest age group being 25 to 34.

Since the start of the restorative justice work in 2012 within local communities, volunteers have given more than 3,500 hours to work on cases, as well as to attend training and development sessions.

The progress report will be discussed at the corporate overview and scrutiny committee to be held on Thursday, January 15, from 5pm in City Hall.