§ Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to ensure that cautions are not used for persistent offenders; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe new guidance on cautioning which I am about to issue to the police will make it clear that a second caution should be considered only where the second offence is trivial, or where it has been committed long enough after the first caution to suggest that the first one had some effect. People who offend persistently must expect to be prosecuted.