The potential scope for restorative policing is wide: police officers undertaking mediation of conflicts themselves; police referring disputes to restorative justice processes run by other police officers or by other statutory or voluntary agencies; police preferring restorative disposals to prosecution or other, more retributive disposals (such as onthe- spot fines) within the ambit of their own discretionary powers. Arguably, the scope is even wider and restorative choices more likely to be used when the dominant police philosophy is that of community or neighbourhood policing – because police officers
will know more about disputes and criminal incidents on their “patch” and because “keeping the peace” may become more important than “fighting crime”. In England and Wales, there have been many local and national initiatives over the last few years which could bear the label of “restorative policing”...