What does a police caution mean. Does that mean someone would have a criminal record.?
You would have a record on the Police National Computer (PNC) but you wouldn’t have a criminal record as such (Rehabilitation of Offenders Act). A caution is a formal warning that is given to an adult who has admitted the offence. If the person refuses the caution then they will normally be prosecuted through the normal channels for the offence. Although it is not technically classed as a conviction it can be taken into consideration by the Courts if the person is convicted of a further offence. Cautions are not covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 so will never become spent. Depending on the type of offence they are ‘stepped down’ after a set period of time (5 or 10 years). This basically means that they will only be visible to police staff and not other agencies who do checks. The exception to this is if a person is the subject of an Enhanced Disclosure and then if relevant it will be disclosed. Even after five/ten years the caution can still be disclosed if you apply
