Miscellaneous 

What does a simple caution mean?

Leia Doyle

What does a simple caution mean?

Simple cautions provide a means of dealing with low-level, mainly first-time, offending without a prosecution. A simple caution must not be offered to a person who has not admitted to committing the offence, and must not be given to an offender who does not agree to accept the simple caution.

How long does a simple caution stay on your record?

six years
Caution. If you admit an offence, the police can give you a caution. A caution is not a conviction. A caution is a warning which stays on your record for six years if you’re an adult, or two years if you’re under 18.

Is caution a conviction?

A caution is not a criminal conviction, but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime. Cautions can show on standard and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

Is a simple caution a conviction?

A simple caution is a non-statutory, non-conviction disposal for adult offenders aged 18 or over. A simple caution is not the same as a conviction but can have significant consequences (see below).

Is a caution a criminal charge?

How long does an interview under caution take?

This depends on the nature of the case, but we will usually write to you within two months of the interview to tell you our decision. If the decision is likely to take longer than two months, we will write to tell you this and when it is likely that a decision will be made.

Do you have to accept a caution?

Can I refuse to accept a simple caution? If you have committed the offence and are offered a caution, in most cases it is better to accept it than go to court. By accepting the caution you avoid having to attend court and obtaining a criminal conviction on your record. You will also avoid being punished by the court.

What is a filtered caution?

Some cautions and spent convictions can become ‘protected’. Once protected, they are ‘filtered’, meaning they won’t be disclosed on standard or enhanced DBS checks. Filtered cautions and convictions do not appear on a standard or enhanced DBS check. However, they are not ‘removed’ or ‘wiped’ from police records.