Possession of weapons, drugs and public order offences make up the most crimes which offenders have managed to dodge being prosecuted for in favour of community resolutions.

Essex Police is one of eight forces which issued more community resolutions (CRs) in 2017/18 than it did in 2014/15, our data unit reveals.

It means the guilty offenders behind the force’s 21,766 recorded CRs since 2014 will not have received a conviction.

Last year, 46 per cent (882) of the nearly 2,000 outcomes for possession of firearms offences, ended in community resolutions.

But an Essex Police spokesman said the majority of these cases related to overseas travellers apprehended at Stansted Airport for bringing illegal items to the UK.

“As a result of our policies, Stansted Airport has held a consistently high number of community resolutions for certain offences since 2015,” the spokesman said.

Epping Forest Guardian:

“These community resolutions relate predominantly to offences for the possession of a weapon, such as knives, which may be legal to carry in other countries, or pepper spray, which would be

considered a possession of firearms offence.

“Airport security officers notify our officers as soon as a weapon is found and our officers will issue a community resolution.

“We record these offences as per Home Office rules and confiscate the weapon but we wouldn’t normally consider it proportionate to charge.

“More needs to be done to advise travellers to the UK about our laws on possession of weapons."

Community resolutions are an out-of-court disposal designed to tackle less serious offending and antisocial behaviour.

They are not convictions so will not appear on criminal records.

The BBC's analysis of Home Office figures revealed police forces in England and Wales have resolved some 449,000 offences with CRs, making up three per cent of the 15 million recorded crime outcomes.

At least 500 of those were issued for indictable-only offences.

Thousands were issued for grave offences such as child sexual exploitation and sex crimes, drug trafficking, stalking, arson and assault.

This has prompted concerns amongst legal experts who say this should not be happening.

As someone who has written about justice and sentencing policy reform, Callum Robertson would have liked to see the data linked with reoffending rates.

The Essex-based legal policy commentator said: “The number of drug offences being treated by CROs is surprisingly low. This indicates a lack of willingness among police forces

to adopt a more practical approach to drug taking."

These resolutions now make up 10 per cent of the total recorded outcomes for drugs in Essex, up from five per cent in 2014/15.

But the police said they can be a positive way of dealing with possession, particularly when the amount is for personal use.

The spokesman added: “It can also be a way of resolving minor public order offences, freeing up custody cells and officer time for the more dangerous and prolific criminals.

“For violent offences, such as lower level assaults, a community resolution is often accepted by the victim.

“Ultimately it’s about the right outcome for them and not always about prosecuting the offenders."