Police told to give fewer cautions The justice minister, Chris Grayling, says police are giving out too many cautions rather than bringing people before the courts. A review into cautions given by police will be launched by the justice secretary to ensure more suspects are brought before a court, it has been reported. Chris Grayling will investigate the use of cautions against people who commit serious crimes, including sexual offences, according to the Sun. The Tory MP said the number of cautions being handed out by officers had "spiralled out of control" and varied between different forces. He told the Sun: "I am worried about some recent cases where cautions have been given to criminals who have committed multiple crimes. The number of cautions given for sexual offences is going in the right direction - down - but we need this review to make sure they are only given where truly appropriate. He added that although officers should use their discretion, the public and victims "have a right to expect people who commit serious crimes to be brought before a court." Police handed out 205,700 cautions in the 12 months ending in September 2012, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice. It represented a 12% decrease compared with the previous 12 months and a 44% fall from the 12 months to September 2007, when the use of cautions peaked at 367,300.