Warning on first, caution on second

In a report headed Shooting inquiry witness on a collision course, page 4, April 18, we said that deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Brian Paddick, had been responsible for a pilot scheme in south London in which people caught with small amounts of cannabis were "cautioned" rather than arrested. The point about the scheme was rather that people were "warned" rather than cautioned or, as was usually also necessary in the case of a caution, arrested. Warning and caution are legally different. The effect was to save police time. Link