Police have been accused of decriminalising cannabis by the backdoor as up to two-thirds of users are being let off with informal “community resolutions” without getting a criminal record.

Between 50 and 70 per cent of people caught with cannabis in parts of Britain are being dealt with by police through such agreements to avoid drawing them into the criminal justice system, according to an analysis of official data by The Daily Telegraph.

Community resolutions provide an alternative to formal charges, fines, cautions or police warnings and have increased more than ten-fold in just three years in some forces.