MORE than 5,000 people who committed a serious violent crime between 2008 and 2012 in the West Mercia Police region were let off without a formal conviction, figures show.

Statistics released by the force following a Freedom of Information request from the Labour party revealed 5,203 offenders were dealt with by community resolutions, which range from apologies to offers of compensation.

According to the Association of Chief Police Officers, community resolutions should only be used to deal with low-level crime or anti-social behaviour and do not lead to a criminal record.

In 2009, 658 offenders were dealt in this way but last year, the number rose to 1,744.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "Community resolutions are entirely victim led and they allow the police to deal with a variety of offences in a more flexible way.

"There are guidelines in place for officers to help them decide when it is suitable to issue a community resolution, but they are generally used for lower level crimes.

"However, it may sometimes be necessary and appropriate to use these informal resolutions to deal with more serious cases because the victim may not want to go through the court process or, the offender may be a child and it is their first offence, for example.”

He added: "Many victims of crime say they feel the criminal justice system and courts take over and they are left out, but community resolutions allow them to meet the offender which in turn, helps them to move on.

"It has also been found that these types of resolutions can have more of an impact on certain offenders than a prison sentence or a court punishment alone, as it allows them to fully understand the consequences of their actions and helps them to change their behaviour in the future."