MOST people would consider cautions to be only a very small step away from a complete let-off for criminal behaviour.

They don’t involve an appearance in court or any kind of punishment in terms of custody, financial penalty or community work.

It’s true that they are logged on a person’s record but, unlike convictions, they only have to be disclosed in certain limited circumstances like when someone wants to work with children or national security is involved.

As our courts have become busier and busier in recent years, it’s been almost inevitable that increasing numbers of offenders have been given cautions to save administrative time.

Now the Justice Secretary has announced plans to scrap cautions for ‘serious cases’ which can only be heard at crown court.

The plan will result in an estimated 5,500 extra cases being heard in Lancashire courts next year. But it’s a decision that shouldn’t have needed to be taken.

If an offence is considered so serious that it cannot be dealt with by magistrates, then the offender should never have been allowed to escape with a caution.