PFCC Essex Restorative Mediation Service Wins Prestigious Lord Ferrers Award
Posted on 13th October 2023
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Essex Restorative Mediation Service (ERMS) has won a prestigious award at a ceremony held on Thursday 12th October at Buckingham Palace.
Run every year, the Lord Ferrers Awards commends outstanding contributions to volunteering in policing in a range of categories, including Police and Crime Commissioner volunteers who demonstrate a significant and sustained contribution to policing.
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said: “I am hugely proud of the ERMS team and our volunteers for receiving the Lord Ferrers Volunteer of the Year Award.
“The role they play in helping to provide mediation between victims and offenders makes a real difference by helping the responsible person to recognise the impact of their actions by putting a face to their crime.
“It also gives the victim and their families the chance to tell the offender how they feel about what has happened, ask for an apology and get answers to their questions.”
ERMS provides a voluntary service that engages individuals harmed by criminal or anti-social behaviour with those responsible, through constructive dialogue.
In the past year ERMS volunteers facilitated mediation between 136 individuals, with an overall satisfaction rate of 97 per cent.
An economic evaluation of ERMS for 2022 demonstrated total benefits of £533,504.18, representing a cost-benefit ratio of approximately £12 per £1 invested, highlighting the significant impact of ERMS volunteers in Essex.
You can find out more about the work of ERMS at www.restorativeessex.co.uk
