A prostitute's caution is a type of

police caution A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases, administered by the police in England and Wales. It is commonly used to resolve cases where full prosecution is not seen as the most appropriate solution. Accepting a caution ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. They are issued to those the police consider to be "loitering and soliciting". Unlike other forms of police cautions, they are not regulated by statute law, but are based on an agreement between British police chiefs.

Description

Prostitute's cautions can be used as police as evidence of "persistence" for the criminal offence of persistently loitering or soliciting defined in Section1(1) of the

Street Offences Act 1959 The Street Offences Act 1959 ( 7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. 57) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and ma ...

, which states that "the conduct is persistent if it takes place on two or more occasions in any period of three months". There is no need for a criminal offence to be committed for one to be issued, nor is there any need for the person they are issued to admit to an offence. Unlike an ordinary police cautions, they do not expire until the person they are issued to reaches the age of 100, making them effectively life-long. Having a prostitute's caution can prevent its recipient (usually a woman) from taking on other forms of work that require

vetting Vetting is the process of performing a background check on someone before offering them employment, conferring an award, or doing fact-checking prior to making any decision. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets are vetted to determin ...

, such as work in the care sector.

Description

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See also