The number of known offenders remained at approximately 1.7 million in 1995. For indictable offenses, the number fell by 4 percent to 504,800, due in part to the new charging standard for assault, which resulted in more assaults being charged as summary. The overall rate of known offending was 1,120 per 100,000 population, down from 1,170 in 1994. The peak age of known offending remained at 18 for males but changed from 14 to 15 for females. A total of 1,418,000 persons were found guilty in 1995, 6,000 (less than 0.5 percent) more than in 1994, once allowance is made for shortfalls in the data. A total of 291,200 persons were cautioned in 1995, 6 percent fewer than in 1994. For indictable offenses, the number cautioned decreased by 30 percent to 202,600, but the cautioning rate remained at 41 percent, unchanged since 1992. The number cautioned fell for most offense groups in 1995, particularly for sex offenses (down 700 or 24 percent); however, for drug offenders the number cautioned increased 9 percent to 48,200. Cautioning rates in 1995 for indictable offenses (excluding motoring) ranged from 27 percent in Merseyside to 54 percent in Surrey. 4 tables and 7 figures