SCRAPPING police cautions would put extra pressure on tight resources and make it harder for officers to use common sense, commissioner Matthew Grove has said.
They are currently used to give formal warnings to people who commit minor offences.
However, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling wants to scrap cautions because of public fears that criminals are "walking away scot-free".
A new system being trialled in Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and Leicestershire would see offenders repair damage or pay compensation for less-serious crimes and face the courts for more grave ones.
Humberside police and crime commissioner Mr Grove is in favour of reducing the use of cautions but does not believe this is the best approach to take.
He said: "I applaud the move towards using community resolution and restorative justice techniques.
"In my opinion, it makes the Government's decision to take away the option of using cautions unnecessary because that's the way we're moving anyway.
"I believe what the public wants is police officers able to use their discretion and deal with offenders in the best possible way."
The commissioner is concerned ditching cautions altogether will also be costly.
With the force hoping to save £32m by 2019, any radical change could create difficulties.
Mr Grove said: "I absolutely want to reduce the use of cautions but to do that overnight is going to create a strain.
"With the complexities of policing and the complexities of offending, we want a toolbox with lots of different options available that best suit the circumstances.
"I'm a bit worried one of the best tools for policing that's been used for years is being suddenly withdrawn."
Cautions are often issued on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service, which deals with offenders in court.
With caseloads already high, Mr Grove is concerned scrapping them could mean criminals have charges against them dropped entirely.
Home Office figures published last month revealed hundreds of Humber criminals, including sex offenders, escaped prosecution for serious offences between April last year and March this year.
They showed Humberside Police had issued cautions for rape, sexual assault, cruelty to children and assault with intent to cause serious harm.
However, Mr Grove said he believed the public would agree with the force's decisions.
Cautions were almost always issued to children or young people who were first-time offenders, he said.
