Home >> News >> 2010 >> Oct >> Police and prosecution service hand out 6,881 cautions in two years - Criminals escaping full force of the law for violent offices
Police and prosecution service hand out 6,881 cautions in two years - Criminals escaping full force of the law for violent offices
Published: 29 October 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM
THOUSANDS of criminals in Westminster are being let off with police cautions, it has been revealed.
Serious crimes including assault and robbery are going unpunished with offenders being handed a “slap on the wrist” rather than being hauled before the courts.
Figures obtained by West End Extra under the Freedom of Information Act show the number of cautions has increased over the last two years, with so-called soft penalties given to burglars, sex offenders, and fraudsters.
Under Home Office guidance, cautions are meant to be handed out for lesser offences to ease pressure on the courts system and to act as a warning to first-time offenders.
A total of 6,881 offences have been punished with cautions over the last two years since October 2008. Of these 28 were sexual offences, 46 were for burglary and 1,721 – 10 per cent of the total figure – were for “violence against the person”, covering everything from harassment and assault to murder. It does not show how many these are repeat cautions but the vast majority are given to people in their 20s.
The figure has come as a shock to many people, with claims that “soft justice” is putting the public at risk and making a mockery of the justice system by letting serious offenders off the hook.
Jasna Badzak, who sits on North Westminster’s Community Police and Consultative Group and lives in Harrow Road said: “For me, this is all about targets and the previous Labour government. That is why we have seen an upwards trend. They want crime to fall and to be seen to be tough, and a caution can be recorded as a positive outcome.
“It’s clearly about ticking boxes and I’m sad to say it doesn’t show any sign of changing.
“The other thing to say is that, for me, the Crown Prosecution Service should be renamed the Criminal Protection Society. Clearly they are not fit for purpose if they are giving cautions to serious criminals. It doesn’t give me great faith in the criminal justice system.”
Under Home Office guidance, out-of-court penalties can only be used if the offender admits guilt, allowing them to escape the shame of a court appearance and, for many, a jail sentence. Cautions are handed out discretionally by police officers but the decision to grant a caution for more serious offences is made by the CPS following arrest.
Historically senior figures in the Met police have been critical of the CPS for opting for cautions which carry the same weight as a conviction under government targets.
A CPS London spokesperson said: “The police are responsible for deciding to caution offenders for offences which are not indictable-only for example offences such as sexual assault and theft. The Crown Prosecution Service may have no involvement in the decision.
“A caution for offences which can only be tried in the crown court must be sanctioned by the CPS and should only be used in exceptional circumstances.
“A caution will only be considered where the suspect has fully admitted the offence and the prosecutor has considered that the public interest does not require a prosecution. When considering the public interest, prosecutors must take into account the views expressed by the victim or the victim’s family.”
Westminster police declined to comment.
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