Ben Kavalec September 3, 2007 APUSH Bonus Salutary neglect was a British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws on America from 1607-1763. Prime Minister Robert Walpole instituted this policy, and stated that "if no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would flourishâ. This policy allowed the enforcement of trade laws to be lenient. Walpole did not believe in the Navigation Acts, which allowed colonists to trade only with England.