We have had hundreds of police cautions, arrest records and other police records deleted for clients across England and Wales. Below are some of those cases, grouped by type of offence and by the client’s profession.

In December 2020, the police told us on a single day that they had deleted cautions in five separate cases, for five different police forces: a domestic assault caution, a fraud caution, a class A drugs caution, a robbery caution and a sexual offence caution.

Every case turns on its own facts, and a past result does not guarantee the outcome of another case.

Jump to: Assault and ABH · Domestic incidents · Affray and public order · Theft, shoplifting, fraud and criminal damage · Drugs · Weapons · Sexual offences and solicitation · Harassment, stalking and malicious communications · Child neglect and cruelty · Arrest records, local records and biometrics · Community resolutions, penalty notices and youth cautions · By profession

Assault and ABH

ABH is never filtered from DBS checks, so these cautions would otherwise have been disclosed for good. Read our guide to ABH cautions.

Other results include:

  • ABH cautions deleted for a health care professional, an international businessman and a regulated worker
  • two unrelated ABH cautions deleted on the same day
  • an ABH caution deleted after the client’s own earlier application had failed
  • assault cautions deleted for a medical student, a pharmacist, a medical professional and a financial services worker
  • an assault caution deleted for a graduate planning a teaching career
  • a racially aggravated assault caution deleted after a night out
  • a youth caution for ABH removed

Domestic incidents

Many of our cases began with an argument at home, a separation or a false allegation by an ex-partner.

Other results include:

  • domestic assault cautions deleted for a nurse, four teachers, an FCA-approved manager, a finance professional and a businessman
  • domestic cautions deleted for health care professionals
  • a domestic assault caution removed for a client applying for UK citizenship
  • a domestic assault caution deleted with the support of the client’s husband, the alleged victim
  • a caution from a dispute between siblings deleted, along with the client’s local police records

Affray and public order

Affray is on the list of offences that are never filtered from DBS checks.

  • Police Caution Removal for Affray: An affray caution more than 15 years old was blocking teaching jobs. Caution and PNC record deleted; clear enhanced DBS certificate.

Other results include:

  • an affray caution deleted for a client who worked in education
  • another affray caution issued several years earlier
  • public order cautions deleted for a regulated worker, a city professional and a client detained after a night out
  • a racially aggravated public order caution, with the client’s entire PNC record deleted
  • a drunk and disorderly caution that was affecting an immigration application overseas

Theft, shoplifting, fraud and criminal damage

Minor dishonesty cautions can still block jobs, visas and professional registration.

Other results include:

  • a “theft by finding” caution from a university night out
  • a shoplifting caution
  • a second theft caution deleted for a client applying for a visa
  • fraud cautions, including one for a relatively serious fraud allegation
  • a robbery caution, which would otherwise always have been disclosed
  • criminal damage cautions, including one affecting a visa application and one from a domestic incident at home

Drugs

Drugs cautions often cause problems with travel, visas and regulated careers.

Other results include:

  • class A drug possession cautions
  • a cocaine caution deleted so the client could move abroad
  • a drugs caution deleted for travel to China
  • a cocaine caution deleted for a professional who needed to travel internationally
  • a drugs caution deleted for a move to a country with strict drug laws

Weapons

Some weapons offences, including pepper spray, count as firearms offences under UK law.

Other results include:

  • a caution for possessing a bladed article (a knife) in public
  • an offensive weapon caution issued several years earlier

Sexual offences and solicitation

Most cautions for sexual offences are never filtered from DBS checks, however old they are.

Other results include:

  • a sexual offence caution issued several years earlier
  • a caution for possession of indecent images
  • historic indecent assault cautions, one issued decades earlier
  • a youth final warning (now a youth caution) for sexual assault
  • a caution for abuse of a position of trust
  • solicitation cautions, including one from more than 15 years earlier
  • a recent sexual offence caution deleted within weeks, after the client had lost his job

Harassment, stalking and malicious communications

These cautions often arise when a relationship ends badly.

Other results include:

  • harassment cautions deleted for a successful professional and for a teacher after a relationship ended
  • a stalking caution deleted after a relationship ended with accusations on both sides
  • harassment warning notices (PINs) deleted: see harassment PIN deletion

Child neglect and cruelty

Cautions for child cruelty and neglect are never filtered, so they can block any career that needs a DBS check.

Other results include:

  • child cruelty cautions deleted, including one issued nearly ten years earlier
  • a caution for an alleged assault on the client’s child, deleted for a regulated professional

Arrest records, local records and biometrics

An arrest record usually stays on the PNC even when no further action is taken. Read about deleting arrest records.

Other results include:

  • six arrest records relating to rape allegations deleted within 12 months: see deleting arrest records for rape allegations
  • a caution, arrest record, DNA, fingerprints and custody photo deleted together
  • arrest records deleted after a neighbour dispute and after wrongful accusations
  • two historic PNC records held by two different police forces deleted
  • historic cautions and arrest records deleted together

Community resolutions, penalty notices and youth cautions

These are not convictions, but they can still appear on enhanced DBS checks.

Other results include:

  • a community resolution removed from a future medical student’s enhanced DBS certificate
  • a youth caution for ABH removed

Results by profession

Many of our clients need a clean record for their careers or their travel plans.

DBS barring cases

We also challenge DBS barring decisions, both resisting proposed barring and appealing existing ones. See the DBS barred list.

Could your record be deleted?

If a caution or other police record is affecting your work, studies or travel, we can review it and tell you honestly whether there are grounds to apply. Read police caution removal to see how the process works and our fees for costs, or contact us to arrange an initial consultation.