When the pre-charge warning option was introduced in September, police said it would reduce the number of cases clogging up the court system, free up police from paperwork, and act as a deterrent to further offending, and so far, police say, it appears to be doing just that.
In the six months since pre-charge warnings were introduced in the Southern police district, police have handed out 314 pre-charge warnings.
Out of a total of 6594 arrests in the period, that amounted to about 5% of arrests resolved with a pre-charge warning.
Dunedin police handed out the largest number of pre-charge warnings (222), while Clutha police issued one warning, and Otago Rural police issued 80 warnings. The remainder were issued by Southland police.
In Dunedin, that amounted to about 9% of arrests resulting in a warning, compared with 4% of arrests in Otago Rural.
Dunedin-Clutha area commander Inspector Dave Campbell said the warnings issued in Dunedin were mostly for disorderly or offensive behaviour. About a third of those warned were students. Alcohol was a factor in about three-quarters of cases.
Twenty-four people warned were unemployed. Occupations included accountant, builder, designer, stonemason, pharmacist, engineer, shepherd and labourer.
Most were arrested on weekend nights and spent a few hours in police cells.
Insp Campbell said that was 218 people (some received two warnings) who otherwise would have gone to court, taken up police and judiciary time and received a diversion anyway.
Correspondingly, the number of diversions had dropped in Dunedin-Clutha.
Data for 2010 was not available, but records showed there were 62 diversions granted in March 2009 compared with 33 in March this year.
While the policy allowed for less time in court, it resulted in less money available for donations to charities because diversion penalties included a donation, often about $300 for a disorderly behaviour charge.
Otago Rural area commander Inspector Mike Cook said diversion had a significant place in the prosecution process where a warning was inappropriate for the offending or the offender's circumstances.
Police had no records on whether any of the offenders warned so far had reoffended.
"We know that the majority of people diverted never come to the notice of the police again and I would expect that a high percentage of those given a pre-charge warning will not come to our notice again either," Insp Campbell said.
"Two or three hours in a police cell is a sobering experience for most first-time offenders and usually long enough for them to decide it is one they don't want to repeat."
Softer option
• Warnings can only be given to an offender aged over 17 and if the offence carries a maximum penalty of less than six months' imprisonment, except family violence or possession of methamphetamine.
• A senior officer has the discretion to issue a warning, which will be kept on a person's record.
