Full list of criminals slapped with police warning

01/01/2024

Crimes as serious as child rape, child cruelty, threats to kill and possessing a gun have been handled with a police warning, exclusive new data can reveal. Latest stats detail every offence which generated a caution from West Midlands Police [1] in 2023. Child rapists, violent thugs and paedophiles were handed the same resolution as shoplifters, would-be burglars and those who ‘receive stolen goods’, according to the figures.

Ordinarily, cautions are given to anyone aged ten or over for so-called ‘minor crimes’, offences like writing graffiti on a bus shelter. But cautions for serious offences should, police say, “only be used in exceptional circumstances.” In the West Midlands, a total of 1,850 warnings were handed out to criminals who admitted their guilt to police for dozens of crimes. Among the hundreds of cautions dealt across the region, 12 per cent of perpetrators were youths aged between ten and 17 – the remaining 1,634 warnings were adult cautions.

A young offender who raped a girl under the age of 13 was among one of the offenders handed a youth caution this year. Youths were mainly given cautions for carrying a knife in a public place, assault (ABH) and robbery. Four children were handed cautions for making threats with a ‘blade or sharply pointed article in a public place’, while another three were given a warning for making threats to kill.

Among adult criminals, assault – including common assault & battery and ABH – was the most common offence for a caution. An adult criminal who admitted sexual activity, including penetration with a female child aged as young as 13, was listed among those given a warning. Cruelty to and neglect of children accounted for 72 of the total cautions, while a further five warnings were given to thugs who admitted non-fatal strangulation or suffocation.

Other offences included assaulting a constable, malicious wounding or GBH, harassment, carrying a weapon in public and criminal damage. Charges, cautions (including conditional cautions) and community resolutions are a few of the ways police can ‘finalise’ a crime, but the force stresses “we ensure we put the victim first when making those decisions.” Responding to the figures, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “The outcome will depend on a variety of factors which are specific to the particular investigation.

Conditional cautions for example can be used when appropriate as an alternative to prosecution and have been proven to be effective at reducing reoffending.

“Cautions for serious offences should only be used in exceptional circumstances, and after consideration by a senior officer or advice from prosecutors. Using cautions for such offences, when appropriate, means we can deal with offenders with little offending history, in a way that is proportionate and rehabilitative by allowing the offender to either make amends for their wrongdoing, or by helping the offender get support for the underlying cause of their offending.” Police say crime victims have even sent emails thanking officers for handing out cautions as it “saves them having to go to court” and enables “much quicker justice and frequently gives them the opportunity to have their voice heard by the perpetrator of their crime.”

“Victims of crime are at the heart of what we do – and as part of the Victim Code we offer them the opportunity to influence the conditions attached to these disposals,” the spokesman continued. “On some occasions, community resolutions can be used in cases involving sexual offences. “They are only ever used with the consent of the victim or their parent/guardian; they play an active role in the process and can help tailor aspects of the resolution. On the whole they are used to resolve low-level crime but sometimes they are deemed appropriate for offences that appear serious, including sexual offences.

“When two underage individuals are in a sexual relationship, this would be crimed as rape, but a community resolution may be used if they’re of a similar age, and both consented and everyone involved agrees. This will ensure that everyone affected is supported in the right way.” The full list for 2023 up until December 12 – combining youth and adult cautions – is as follows:

Acquisition, use & possession of criminal property 1 Affray 4 Arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence 4

Arson not endangering life 2 Assault Emergency Worker – Assault with Injury – s.47 – Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 3 Assault or assault by beating on a constable 66

Assault or assault by beating on a emergency worker (except a constable) 9 Assault Police – Assault with Injury – s.20 – Malicious wounding: wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm 6 Assault Police – Assault with Injury – s.47 – Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 24

Assault with Injury – s.20 – Malicious wounding: wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm 68 Assault with Injury – s.47 – Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 215 Assault with intent to rob (Of Personal Property) 2

Brumwish 2023 – buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2023 is Birmingham Live’s festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city – among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

Buy a new gift from the Brumwish Amazon giftlist [3]. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
Donate money to the appeal fund [4] hosted by Birmingham Thrive Together – this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes
Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at special gifting days on Friday 8th December and Saturday 9th December at Edgbaston Stadium, 11am – 3pm. Volunteers will be there to greet you and thank you for your support.

Please don’t wrap.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children’s centres and charities around the city. Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Birmingham Thrive Together, Birmingham Playcare Network, Edgbaston Foundation (part of Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps who first dreamed up #Toys4Birmingham and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail. Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.

Assault without Injury – Common assault and battery 162 Attempted – Causing a child aged 13 -15 to watch a sexual act – Offender aged 18 or over 1 Attempted – Causing or inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity – penetration 1

Attempted – Causing or inciting sexual activity with a female child aged 13 -15, offender 18 or over – no penetration 2 Attempted – Criminal Damage to a Building – Business and Community (Under GBP5,000) 1 Attempted – Engage in sexual communication with a child under 16 – offender 18 or over 6

Attempted – Meeting a female child following sexual grooming etc (Offender is aged 18 or over & victim is under 16) 1 Attempted – Meeting a male child following sexual grooming etc (Offender is 18 or over & victim is under 16) 2 Attempted – Robbery (of Personal Property) 1

Attempted – s.18 – Assault with Intent to cause Serious Harm – Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm 3 Attempted – Theft from shops and stalls 8 Attempted – Theft of a motor vehicle 2

Attempted Burglary – Business And Community 1 Attempted Burglary – Residential 3 Attempted residential burglary of a home 3

Blackmail 3 Breach of non-molestation order 4 Breach Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) Sentencing Act 2020 Sec 354 (1) (4) 8

Breach SHPO / interim SHPO / SOPO / interim SOPO / Foreign travel order or fail to comply with a requirement under Sec 103D (4) 7 Burglary – Business And Community 7

More by Stephanie Balloo

Burglary – Residential 6 Care worker ill-treat /wilfully neglect an individual 3

Carrying an air weapon (whether loaded or not) or an imitation firearm in a public place 8 Causing a female to engage in sexual activity without consent – no penetration 1 Causing a person with a mental disorder to engage in sexual activity by inducement, threat or deception – no penetration 1

Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress 25 Causing or inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activity by an offender under 18 years of age – no penetration 1 Causing or inciting sexual activity with a female child aged 13 -15, offender 18 or over – no penetration 4

Causing, permitting or failing to prevent unnecessary suffering of protected animal 1 Committing or conspiring to commit, an act outraging public decency 6 Communicating false information alleging presence of bomb 1

Criminal Damage to a Building – Business and Community (Under GBP5,000) 18 Criminal Damage To Vehicle 1 Cruelty to Children/Young Persons – Cruelty to and neglect of children 72

Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress 10 Engage in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate / family relationship 3 Engage in sexual communication with a child under 16 – offender 18 or over 5

Exposure 9 Failure to comply with (Sexual Offence) Notification Order 54 Fear or provocation of violence 23

Harassment 28 Harassment – Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking 61 Harassment – Putting people in fear of violence 12

Harassment – Stalking involving fear of violence 9 Harassment – Stalking involving serious alarm/distress 11 Harassment, alarm or distress (S5 POA) 6

Having an article with a blade or point in a public place 59 Having an article with a blade or point on school premises 4 Possession of a controlled Class A/ B drug – ranging from cocaine to heroin – 100

Ill treatment or neglect of a person lacking capacity by anyone responsible for that persons care 1 Intentionally / recklessly cause a public nuisance 1 Interference with a motor vehicle 5

Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation 5 Offence of possession of an offensive weapon in a private place 5 Other Criminal Damage(to residence, vehicle and other) – 145

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in any place – injuring any person or assistance dog 12 Pass etc counterfeit coin or note as genuine 1 Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence 1

Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious substances etc 3 Possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply – ranging from cannabis to cocaine – 15 Possession of an indecent or pseudo indecent photo of a child 6

Possession of offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 20 Possession of other offensive weapon on school premises / further education premises.

1 Production or being concerned in production of a controlled drug – Class B – Cannabis 28

Public Nuisance 1 Racially or religiously aggravated assault or assault occasioning actual bodily harm 6 Racially or religiously aggravated common assault or beating 11

Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage 2 Racially or religiously aggravated fear or provocation of violence 10 Racially or religiously aggravated Harassment or stalking without violence 1

Racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress 6 Racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress 31 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male 1

Receiving stolen goods 1 Residential burglary of a home 4 Residential burglary of unconnected building 1

Robbery (of a Business Property) 2 Robbery (of Personal Property) 11 s.18 – Assault with Intent to cause Serious Harm – Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm 9

Sending letters etc with intent to cause distress or anxiety 46 Sexual activity with a female child aged 13 – 15, offender 18 or over – penetration 1 Sexual assault on a female aged 13 or over – no penetration 10

Sexual assault on a male aged 13 or over – no penetration 1 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 – no penetration 1 Soliciting another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street or public place 1

Sought to engage/offered to engage/engaged in regulated activity from which barred 8 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug – Class B – Cannabis 1 Take or to make or to distribute indecent photographs or pseudo- photographs, of children 8

Theft by an Employee 12 Theft from a motor vehicle 3 Theft from shops and stalls 136

Theft from the person of another 5 Theft if not classified elsewhere 13 Theft in a dwelling other than from automatic machine or meter 6

Theft of a motor vehicle 4 Threaten with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place 9 Threaten with a blade or sharply pointed article on school premises 1

Threaten with an offensive weapon in a public place 3 Threats to destroy or damage property 19 Threats to kill 39

Unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle (does not include ‘driving or being carried knowing motor vehicle has been taken) 3 Voyeurism 2 Have you been affected by this?

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