Conservative condemns 123 Cautions for sex offences in Staffordshire

The Government are undermining the safety of the most vulnerable people in Burton and Uttoxeter by allowing over 100 sex offenders across Staffordshire to be cautioned rather than charged.

Conservative Parliamentary candidate Andrew Griffiths protested:

" It is staggering to see such a high number of cautions for sex offenders in Staffordshire alone. It is bad enough that so many offenders are getting away with effectively no punishment, but I am shocked that this is happening in very serious cases of sexual assault involving children."

His comments came after it emerged that 123 sex offenders have been cautioned rather than being charged by the police in Staffordshire in the past five years, following offences, including 20 involving children, and 3 rapes, Across the country more than 8000 offenders have been cautioned for sex offences.

Mr Griffiths declared:

"The news that sex offenders are free to walk the streets rather than being locked up for such serious crimes will cause real concern to many people in Burton and Uttoxeter, particularly parents. These cautions are a direct consequence of Labour pursuing a policy of getting detections by the easiest possible route even if it means keeping thousands of serious offenders out of the justice system."

He warned:

"The appalling effect it has on the safety of some of the most vulnerable people in East Staffordshire is something Labour should be truly ashamed of."

The BBC News website asked each of England's 38 forces how many cautions they had issued for sex offences over the past five years - and what offences they were for.

In many cases the BBC gained the information by making Freedom of Information Act requests to the forces.

The results show for each police force, the total number of cautions issued for sex offences, how many were for rape and how many were for offences involving children.