A CHARITY has slammed police for giving four rapists only a caution for their crimes.

Lancashire police have issued more than 200 cautions for sex offences in the last five years, official figures have revealed.

A total of four of the 213 cautioned offences were for rape, according to statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Campaigners have called for tougher penalties and said issuing cautions as punishment for rape was sending out the wrong messages to both victims and offenders.

However the force said it issued cautions infrequently and added: "We never consider them to be an easy way out".

Officers have also issued 120 cautions for indecent assault, between April 2001 and March 2006.

A total of 25 cautions have been issued for unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 in Lancashire since 2001.

Officers issued 18 cautions for making or taking indecent photographs of children.

Other offences for which the force issued the penalties include soliciting by a man, indecency between males, bigamy, abuse of trust and incest.

A spokesman for the national Rape Crisis charity, set up to help victims, said: "There is a complete lack of confidence that justice will be obtained in rape cases - and few women would perceive a caution as justice.

"We know that the women who call rape crisis lines have huge concerns about what would happen if they reported rape to the police.

"When they hear about cautions being given, it adds another question mark over their decision to report."

Cautions are issued under Home Office guidance and can be classed as formal or informal.

Those issued formally are given at a police station by a senior officer, but are not counted as a conviction.

But, the cautioned offender must admit to the offence and in the case of sexual offences, must sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

The police spokesman added: "Our decisions are made on a case by case basis and after discussion with the Crown Prosecution Service."