A ''dramatic fall'' in diversion and restorative justice cases in the South Island has led to the Waitaki Safer Community Trust appealing to the Waitaki District Council for its help to fight for the programme.
Trust chairwoman Elizabeth McCone told the council meeting earlier this week a change in police policy which led to more official warnings being issued to offenders rather than taking them through the court process had led to the dramatic fall.
The council supported the appeal and will ask to meet Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean to discuss the issue.
Mrs McCone said she had reported to the council in December about the ''highly successful'' police and community diversion programme in the district. However, since then that had changed to the extent the diversion and restorative justice programme in Waitaki was under threat.
A change in policy from police headquarters now meant more official warnings were being issued to offenders.
Mrs McCone believed some could receive three or more.
The warnings meant there was no restorative justice for victims, no community involvement with offenders and no turnaround for offenders, she said.
Official warnings had led to a decline in reported crime convictions, but the public was not being fooled. Nationally, people remained concerned about attacks on police and the number of murders over Christmas. At a local level they were worried about outbreaks of vandalism.
The programme, involving police, volunteers and the Ministry of Justice, gave offenders a chance to change their ways, victims were involved, punishment fitted the crime, there were no unpaid fines, taxpayers received value for money and offenders learnt their lesson and did not reoffend.
However, with greater use of official warnings volunteers were losing heart with fewer offenders in the programme and the scheme was ''seriously compromised'', Mrs McCone said.
