There is no reason to doubt these figures; they are consistent with previous reports such as this one from 2019 relating to 2014-2018.
I would note that a community resolution is not necessarily an apology.
West Yorkshire Police explain:
Examples of a Community resolution could include a simple apology, an offer of compensation or a promise to clear up any graffiti or criminal damage.
In terms of the specific claims:
- rape of a girl under 13 is strict liability, so for example if two 12 year olds had sex, then this would be a complete offence, and no defence such as "she consented to sex" is allowed.
- rape of a girl under 16 is not a specific offence - rape is either strict liability under 13, or without consent if aged 13+ (there are separate offences of sexual activity with a child which carry similar penalties, but these would not be recorded as rape). As such, rape of a 15 year old is not different to rape of a 25 year old, so it's not particularly clear why they are highlighting the age of the victim.
- it is not clear what is meant by 'rape of a young boy'
A key purpose of the community resolution is to 'solve' the crime. The police record the resolution on their statistics, and it is case closed. The South Yorkshire police note that this is used for cases
involving child perpetrators, people with specific needs or learning difficulties or consensual relationships between teenagers. In many cases, there is a specific desire by the victims and their family for the perpetrator not to be put through the criminal justice system.
This West Midlands Police document gives more context. It describes a 12 year old girl texting her 14 year old boyfriend telling him to bring condoms, and having sex, on one occasion. Both sets of parents agreed criminalization was not appropriate, and the CR was used. The resolution was reviewed, because the case was deemed to be a sensitive one, and this was confirmed as an appropriate resolution.
