Do you believe a caution on your record was imposed wrongly? If so, our police caution removal solicitors may be able to help.

 

If you have received a police caution, you may only now be realising the impact this can have on your future.

You may have been misled by the police or even the duty solicitor into believing that a police caution is just a slap on the wrist. It isn’t!

You may have been unable to process the information you were given, because of additional needs or a language barrier. 

What impact can police cautions really have for a person?

A police caution is certainly not a slap on the wrist, and yet many people continue to believe this or advise that this is the case. 

There are serious implications on work, especially in the following fields:

• Doctor or other health care professional
• Solicitor
• Barrister
• Officer of the court (court clerk, security, etc)
• FCA Regulated Worker (Banking and Finance)
• Teacher
• Care worker
• Social worker
• Police officer
• Security officer
• Government roles (MI5, The Home Office, Ministry of Justice, etc)
• and more 

Having a police caution on your record can also cause difficulties with international travel and, in particular, any plans you may have to emigrate in the future. Countries such as the USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore and China are known to be very strict, in particular. 

A police caution for certain offences may see you ineligible for a Visa or citizenship in the country you have always dreamed of moving to.

Will people be informed of a police caution on your record?

Yes, this is often the case. 

On standard or enhanced DCS certificates, a police caution for minor offences is disclosable for six years.

Police cautions for more serious offences will be disclosed for the rest of your life (except for youth police cautions).

On enhanced checks, the police have a discretion to disclose police cautions even after six years. 

Police cautions are always revealed on ACRO Police Certificates for 5 or 10 years, depending on the offence. After that, they are indirectly revealed by the description ‘No Live Trace’, whereas a person without any such cautions will show a description of ‘No Trace’. During the immigration application, a ‘No Live Trace’ descriptor will usually result in your full criminal record being required.

Can arrest records be disclosable, even without a caution?

Yes. Even if you were investigated for a criminal offence and the case was closed without any action being taken, this can still be disclosed on an enhanced DBS certificate. This can be devastating for some people’s career hopes and emigration plans!

Can a police caution be removed?

Yes, it is possible, depending on the circumstances.

For example:

• You may have been incorrectly advised to accept the caution
• You may have been unfit to accept the caution
• The police may not have followed their required process correctly – if this results in your caution being unfair, it can be grounds to have the caution removed

We offer honest and free advice on the chances of successfully having a police caution removed from your record. Please contact us on 01623 397200 and will be happy to advise you.