Police are increasingly letting knife and sex offenders escape prosecution if they say sorry, The Telegraph can reveal.
More than 147,000 people accused of offences including sex crimes, violence and weapons possession were handed community resolutions in the year to March, instead of being prosecuted. Such resolutions do not result in a criminal record.
Police guidance says community resolutions should be restricted to low-level crimes, with offenders required to apologise to the victim, accept “responsibility” for their crime and offer some form of recompense.
