Today, Police is launching a project to review the Formal Warning policy to ensure it remains appropriate and
operational staff are consistently delivering warnings according to the policy.
“Formal Warnings are one of a number of the tools Police can draw upon to resolve incidents without requiring court
action.
They are intended to be an effective mechanism for holding an individual to account and deterring further offending by
showing them that the offence is taken seriously and recorded as part of their criminal history,” says Jevon McSkimming,
Deputy Commissioner Strategy & Service.
“Following a recent High Court judgement, we recognise the importance of maintaining the public’s confidence in this
important tool.
The project launched today will look at further policy development and what additional support and monitoring can be
provided to our people to ensure Formal Warnings are consistently applied.
“The decision to issue a Formal Warning is at the discretion of an officer.
It involves an assessment of the underlying factors of the incident to determine the best option to support both the
perpetrator and victim, to help prevent future harm.”
“In the meantime, we have provided updated guidance to staff reminding them of the conditions that must be met prior to
a warning being issued.”
Further updates will be provided as the project progresses.