No More Cautions For Serious Crimes

Offenders committing serious crimes will no longer be able to get away with a “slap-on-the-wrist” simple caution, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has pledged. The new guidance for police forces means officers will no longer be able to issue simple cautions for rape, robbery and manslaughter or for crimes such as the possession of an offensive weapon, supplying class-A drugs and sexual offences against children. Commenting ahead of the Conservative party conference, Mr Grayling said hundreds of offenders who admitted committing serious crimes had “escaped with just a slap on the wrist” last year. He said: “Quite simply this is unacceptable and unfair on victims. That is why I am scrapping simple cautions for all of the most serious offences and a range of other offences that devastate lives and tear apart communities.” Just over 5,000 simple cautions were issued in 2012 for crimes that would have been heard at Crown Court had they gone to trial. They included more than 2,500 for possessing knives or other weapons, 54 for supplying or offering to supply class-A drugs.

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