Garda caution scheme keeps 40,000 out of court

Almost 40,000 adult offenders have been diverted from the courts over the last five years under a little-known Garda caution scheme.

Research shows the number of cautions jumped by 240% — from 3,865 to 9,308 — between 2006 and 2010.

A study suggests the scheme had been a “resounding success” and that two-thirds of people given a caution had not come to the attention of gardaí in the following 12 months. But it said the scheme was “severely restricted” and was mainly used in relation to public order offences and thefts from shops.