Can a police caution be removed?

What you should do now

If police offer a caution, or you already have one and need a DBS check, get advice before you agree to anything or fill in forms. A caution is not a trivial ticket. It is a formal outcome recorded on the Police National Computer.

What a simple caution is

A simple caution (for adults) is a disposal police may offer when there is a realistic prospect of conviction and a caution is appropriate in the public interest. You must admit the offence. The CPS publishes guidance on when cautions are suitable.^[5]

Do not confuse this with the words spoken at the start of an interview ("You do not have to say anything..."). That is the statutory interview caution under PACE. This page is about the caution as an outcome after investigation.

Spent periods under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 sets rehabilitation periods after which many cautions and convictions become "spent".^[1] Once spent, you generally do not have to disclose the caution for most jobs or insurance, unless an exception applies.

The Exceptions Order lists roles and licences where spent cautions may still be disclosed.^[2] Enhanced DBS checks for regulated work follow separate filtering rules.

DBS filtering

Standard and enhanced DBS certificates do not automatically show every old caution. Filtering rules remove certain cautions from certificates after a qualifying period if they appear on the eligible list and you have no other relevant record.^[3]

Filtering is not the same as deletion from police systems. Some cautions never filter, including many violent or sexual offences. I cannot tell you how an employer will treat a certificate. I can explain what is likely to appear before you accept a caution at the station.

Can the caution be deleted?

Applications to remove a caution from the PNC succeed only in narrow circumstances. Most people focus on spent status and filtering instead of deletion. If someone promises to "wipe" your caution for a fee, be sceptical.

At the police station

If you are in custody or at a voluntary suite and police mention a caution, ask for a solicitor. Advice under caution is free under legal aid.^[4] We look at the evidence, whether a charge is realistic, and whether a caution is in your interest compared with no further action or charge.

If you are released under investigation or on bail, outcomes may still include a caution later. See released under investigation and police bail explained for what happens while the case is open.

When to get a solicitor

As a duty solicitor, I see cautions offered late on a Friday when someone just wants to leave custody. Before accepting a caution, before interview if a caution is on the table, and before you complete a DBS form if you are unsure what to disclose. I attend Kent police stations during extended hours. I cannot undo a caution you accepted without advice, but I can help you understand what comes next.