Police are to be given a list of crimes including drug possession, theft and shoplifting for which first-time offenders should be given cautions rather than going to court.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice will publish a new draft code of practice that sets out how police can allow officers to deal with “low-level” and “first time” offences outside the courts.

However the guidance, which is under consultation, fuelled accusations of soft justice as critics warned that instead of “nipping lower-level criminality in the bud”, offenders who go unpunished would be encouraged to “escalate their criminality”.

Police have been at the centre of rows over effectively decriminalising offences such as theft, shoplifting and burglary through a lack of action.