More offenders to be let off with cautions

More offenders to be let off with cautions

Police forces have been instructed to let off offenders with a caution if they commit any one of more than 60 types of crime, ranging from assault to some types of theft, criminal damage and under-aged sex, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

The instructions are contained in a government document sent to police forces and released under the Freedom of Information Act. They are designed to reduce inconsistencies that can see offenders in one area escaping with a caution while elsewhere they would be prosecuted for the same offence.

Police told: let off more offenders with cautions (Sunday Times, 2 April 2006)

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