Criminal injury claims may become less likely after Wearsiders caught with carrying lethal weapons, Class A drugs or sexually assaulting minors, were only punished with police cautions.

It has been discovered that between November 2007 and October 2009, Sunderland police handed out 8,454 cautions - this totals to more than 350 a month.

Whilst the majority of injury claims looked at minor crimes, serious assaults which were only solved with a caution, alarmingly consisted of - five cautions for having a firearm, 138 for weapon-related offences, rape of a male child under 13 by a male and 66 for possessing a controlled drug.

The exposed figures have sent shock and anger amongst the northern population, who believe that such cautions are not a 'deterrent.' However, police have argued that such techniques are reserved for low-level crimes and 'rarely' dished out for serious offences.

To Adele Johnson, 29, whose fiancé was stabbed to death outside their home in May 2007, this explanation is simply not enough.

The mum-of-two has tirelessly campaigned for harsher sentences to be handed out to those caught carrying weapons, ever since the attack.

She said: "When I hear things like this it makes me think what a waste of time our campaign is. It's terrifying to walk down the streets and it's terrifying to let your baby go out and play because you don't know who's out there and what they've got in their pocket.

"It's not fair on the victims and it doesn't send out a firm message to people carrying knives. There's no deterrent," she stated.

Last year the Government recommended putting people caught carrying knives behind bars. But the figures reveal 27 cautions were given for possession of a knife blade or sharp instrument, 94 for possession of an offensive weapon and three for possession of a rocket launcher or mortar.

Chief Superintendent Dave Wormald, Northumbria Police's criminal justice department, responded to the criticism: "All police forces operate under strict guidelines from the Home Office in relation to the use of cautions. Cautions are used for adult offenders predominantly in cases involving first time, low-level offending.

"Before any decision to issue a caution is made, the views of the victim will be considered, and a caution only issued if it is in the public interest to do so. Cautions are rarely issued for more serious offences."

He added: "However, if it is appropriate for a caution to be considered for a serious offence, the decision to caution will only be reached after consultation with the victim, and a referral of the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision."

A Victim Support spokeswoman said: "If victims feel their experience of crime is being dismissed by the very agencies that are meant to deal with, the situation that risks adding insult to injury."

Cautions not a 'deterrent'

The Law Society has attacked the policy and called the use of cautions for serious offences "inappropriate."

Chief Executive Des Hudson, said: "While such disposals may have a role in dealing with very simple offences, such as in relation to traffic and parking, they are not appropriate for theft and disorder that could be of a more serious and violent type.

"There is also a place in the system for the use of simple police cautions and conditional cautions, but there is now considerable concern, highlighted by the DPP, that there may be many and growing examples of inappropriate use here too.

"We also need to consider the possibility that otherwise innocent people may be tempted to accept such disposals in order to avoid the stress of a full criminal trial."