MPs have reacted with alarm after it was revealed police in West Yorkshire have issued almost 8,000 cautions in a year to adults arrested for crimes including sex offences, burglaries and violence.

Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information Request found a total of 7,736 cautions were issued in the 12 months up to the end of September, including 2,655 for violence against the person, 1,586 for theft and handling stolen goods and 1,250 for drug offences.

There were also 973 cautions for criminal damage, 65 for burglary and 20 for sex offences.

The figures do not include reprimands, final warnings or conditional cautions.

Commenting on the figures, David Ward, Liberal Democrats MP for Bradford East, said: “It does seem to be a remarkably high number and it certainly needs investigation. What it does indicate is the amount of pressure the police are under.”

Marsha Singh, Labour MP for Bradford West, said: “Frankly I’m astounded by the figures. I am gobsmacked in terms of numbers of cautions given for violence and sex offences. These figures are really staggering and a cause for great concern.”

Gerry Sutcliffe, Bradford South Labour MP, said: “On the face of it, it seems quite high and I hope the police don’t use cautions instead of charging people. It’s a balance that needs to be struck.”

Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, said: “I think cautions are over used. I am very nervous about the police acting as the judge and jury and deciding what the appropriate sentence is for somebody. But I think the police do get incredibly frustrated at the CPS not taking cases to court and the courts giving people a slap on the wrist when they have spent a lot of time on a case and the consequence is they feel this is the most cost-effective way of bringing someone to justice.”

Keighley Conservative MP Kris Hopkins said: “We need to ensure the police have got sensible discretion of their powers. At the same time, cautions should not be seen as an easy option.

“The Government is trying to reduce the amount of paperwork to allow police to pursue legitimate prosecution of these issues.”

Michael Downes, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “Cautions do have a place in the judicial process and they are a very useful tool for disposing of low end criminal offences or first-time offenders. I believe they should not be used for serious offences of any nature or for persistent or prolific offenders.”

A police spokesman said: “The decision to deal with offences by way of caution, reprimand or final warning is not taken lightly and is only made after careful, subjective consideration of the case.

Determining factors will include the nature of the offence, the age and wishes of the victim, previous history, attitude of the offender to the offence and presence of any aggravating features.”

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