Should I have disclosed my caution?

I believe its safe to leave it off at this stage, such things can always be brought up later at any rate.
As you noted though seeing as it isnt a conviction (and unless they expressly ask for everything, even if its covered under clean slate - or whatever it is called) you should be able to leave it off.

You can always add it to be on the safe side though i guess?

The only reason I didn’t put it on my application is because it didn’t ask for it. Had the Police wanted me to tell them, of course I would have.

If the Police need to know at any point, I will tell them.

The caution is definitely in its 6th year, and I’m desperate to join the police...

Yeah to be honest i dont think it would be an issue. I ran into a similar problem and left it off the initial application (had to bring it up for vetting though) but such things don't tend to problematic - especially if its merely a caution and its spent.

I don’t know... because I had applied to the Police back in 2017 when I was 23, and it was rejected. I never knew why it had been rejected.

The BTP application took far, far longer than the Met application (though I expect the who process to be longer or the Met).

The official Met articles on policing state that I must disclose convictions of family members... but there was NO mention of this in the application. It asked if I had any convictions.

I don’t think any of my family members have a conviction.

Hmm well if in complete doubt it couldnt hurt to ring the person listed on the job advert (if this one has that) or i presume the force itself as an employment inquiry line where you can get a definitive answer?
Best of luck in it either way though!

I’ve been reading a few conflicting articles, both are official.

One states I should disclose my caution, the other says I don’t have to if it’s spent.

Cautions are spent 3 months after they are given. They stay on your record for 6 years.

My caution is 5-6 years old, and it’s NOT on the Met’s list of Mandatory exclusion. (i.e Theft, rape, GBH, etc...)

All the application for the Met and the BTP asked for is whether I had been convicted of a crime, which I haven’t.

At no point was there any mention of cautions and whether I needed to tell the Met that I have one.


Unless that when the police carry out their vetting process they’re picking something up from my family... but I don’t think anyone has a conviction.

Definitely disclose it. Vetting aren't necessarily looking for perfect applicants with a spotless record, they are more interested in your integrity.

If I was doing the vetting and you'd concealed a caution then I would have serious concerns about you. Not because of the caution itself, but because you concealed it. I'd be thinking what's going to happen when you make a mistake on the job, are you going to try hiding it like you did with your caution? If you were completely honest from the start, I might not have those concerns.

There was no option to disclose my caution on either the Met application or the BTP application. All they asked for was whether I have been convicted - which I haven’t.

I’m not going to put “Yes” on a conviction if I haven’t been convicted for anything.

If there's not any area or box for it on the application then I'd suggest writing up a short explanation about the caution on a separate sheet of paper and including that in the completed application. Think about it like this. If the vetting shows that you won't admit to your mistakes unless directly asked, does that mean that when you do something wrong in the job you'll keep quiet about it? Will your sgt need to come and find you at the end of every shift to ask did you do anything wrong today?

If your caution is from 5 years ago and you've kept your nose clean since then I likely wouldn't care at all about that. Everyone has a past. But I would care very much if I thought you were trying to conceal it.

It isn't a paper application, though. It's online.

So contact the vetting unit and say that you are completing your application, and that you have a caution from 5 years ago but don't know where to mention that on the form. They will advise you.

I think it's great you want to join the police but I really want to emphasis how important integrity is. At the moment you seem to think that if you aren't directly asked about cautions then it's ok not to mention them. If I was vetting you, that would be a major red flag. The caution itself is fine, because everyone has a past and if you've kept your nose clean since then it wouldn't be a problem. But the fact you concealed it would worry me. Because then I'll wonder if you'll deal with making mistakes in the job the same way. When you do something wrong will you keep quiet about it unless someone directly asks you? Or can I trust you to have the integrity to own up?

I haven't concealed anything?

Anyway, I've been in touch with them and I can now continue my application, including my caution.

I’ve been reading a few conflicting articles, both are official.

One states I should disclose my caution, the other says I don’t have to if it’s spent.

Cautions are spent 3 months after they are given. They stay on your record for 6 years.

My caution is 5-6 years old, and it’s NOT on the Met’s list of Mandatory exclusion. (i.e Theft, rape, GBH, etc...)

All the application for the Met and the BTP asked for is whether I had been convicted of a crime, which I haven’t.

At no point was there any mention of cautions and whether I needed to tell the Met that I have one.


Unless that when the police carry out their vetting process they’re picking something up from my family... but I don’t think anyone has a conviction.

As someone who works in Police recruitment, you have a moral obligation to disclose ALL cautions and convictions and any involvement with the Police in your whole life and regardless whether you have been warned, cautioned or convicted.
In addition, you should always assume that everything is recorded into the PNC database.

What you can do is submit your vetting application and then send an email directly to vetting clarifying your record.

Failure to disclose the information above will question your honesty and integrity, which will automatically fail your vetting.