If you have ever wondered, can you get rid of a police caution? The simple answer to this question is, yes.

Whether you can get rid of your caution in your circumstances, will depend on a number of factors.

Getting rid of certain police cautions can be more challenging than others.

Where the caution is for a more serious offence, and where the evidence is very compelling, it may make getting rid of your police caution more difficult, but it may not be impossible.

It is possible to apply to the police yourself to have a police caution removed, however this is the case with any criminal matter. You can represent yourself in any allegation, from the most serious to the most minor. If you do not want to represent yourself, you can instruct a lawyer to assist you. We are dedicated expert police caution removal lawyers, with years of experience with success in hundreds of cases.

If you have received a police caution it will be retained on the Police National Computer (PNC) until you reach 100 years of age.

Your caution will be disclosed according to different time periods, the type of offence, and the type of background check you are applying for. Please see our police caution calculator for details of how and when your caution will be revealed.

People often wrongly believe (due to faulty advice given to them by their duty solicitor/the police) that their police caution will be removed after five years, for discussion on this topic please visit here: Can a caution be removed after 5 years?

Getting rid of a police caution will mean that it will be removed from the Police National Computer. This will mean that your caution will be completely removed from the PNC, and will know longer automatically be revealed on a DBS certificate, or an ACRO police certificate. The police do also separately retain local/PND records. For information on local/PND records, please visit here:

Clients often instruct us to get rid of their police caution from the PNC, as it is having a significant impact on their employment, or ability to move overseas.

If you have a police caution, you may find that it is causing you difficulties obtaining a visa, or overseas citizenship. Countries such as the United States and China are very strict with respect to any previous criminal record. Cautions for certain offences, such as possession of drugs or violent/sexual offences, will make it particularly difficult for you to obtain a Visa or citizenship.

Whilst you have a police caution, it will be revealed directly on an ACRO Police Certificate for between five or 10 years, depending on the offence. After the time period has elapsed, your caution will become “stepped down”, but it will continue to be indirectly revealed via a “no live trace” disclosure. For someone who has never received a caution or conviction, there police certificate will simply state “no trace”.

Many countries once they see a “no live trace disclosure” on an ACRO Police Certificate, will then enquire into the full details of that person’s criminal record.

If your caution is deleted, your police certificate will state “no trace”.

We are a legal practice dedicated to helping people with previous criminal records, and have successfully challenged the retention of police cautions in hundreds of cases.

The majority of our clients are highly qualified, and often leading professionals, where the impact of a police caution is often devastating to their career. We have successfully helped many clients put minor incidents behind them, and move on successfully with the rest of their lives.

Many of our clients may also have had minor difficulties in their youth/younger years, but have gone on to lead successful and highly productive lives. Often these clients feel unfairly chained to their past by their previous record.

We know that minor police records can have a major impact on people’s lives, we therefore do all we can to ensure you get the clear record that you deserve.

If you would like expert advice on getting rid of your police caution, from the leading lawyer in this field, then please get in touch.