Thames Valley Chief Constable Charles Pollard is calling for a US-style criminal justice system where victims have a say in the punishment of offenders.
Mr Pollard said victims needed a voice in how criminals were sentenced because they were losing faith in the British system.
In a hard-hitting report for the Criminal Law Review, he said criminals should be confronted by their victims face-to-face.
Mr Pollard said: "I never cease to be amazed at the extent to which our criminal justice process exclude the victims and communities most affected by crime.
"In court, victims have no status, save as 'givers of evidence' aprofessional tool at the disposal of lawyers, judges and court officials. "It is this failure to involve in the court process the people whose lives have been most intimately affected by crime that is undermining the public's faith in the rule of law."
Mr Pollard said there was a strong case for criminals to be confronted by their behaviour and saw no reason why victims should not have a say in sentencing - a technique used in parts of Canada and America.
He said the scheme - known as Sentencing Circles - sees victims work in partnership with the criminal justice system to agree appropriate punishment.
Thames Valley Police pioneered the Restorative Justice scheme which saw the victim and offender meeting to discuss the crime.
Story date: Thursday 23 December
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