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Yet Another Scandal
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Why is it a scandal?
The law was changed in 2017 preventing the police from keeping people on bail for more than 28 days except in exceptional circumstances. The Beeb's headline is quite correct:
"More than 93,000 suspected violent criminals and sex offenders have been released without restrictions by police in England and Wales since 2017"
What it neglects to say is that those people were innocent and not charged with any offence. The scandal was the situation pre-2017 when people could be subject to police bail, often with restrictions on their behaviour, for many months or even years whilst the police slowly pursued their investigations at a leisurely pace. A court would not allow the CPS to continually apply for remands and requests to keep someone on bail (conditional or otherwise) for extended periods simply because the CPS has not finished its preparation. Justice delayed is justice denied and that applies equally to defendants as well as alleged victims. The police need to get their act together.
The law was changed in 2017 preventing the police from keeping people on bail for more than 28 days except in exceptional circumstances. The Beeb's headline is quite correct:
"More than 93,000 suspected violent criminals and sex offenders have been released without restrictions by police in England and Wales since 2017"
What it neglects to say is that those people were innocent and not charged with any offence. The scandal was the situation pre-2017 when people could be subject to police bail, often with restrictions on their behaviour, for many months or even years whilst the police slowly pursued their investigations at a leisurely pace. A court would not allow the CPS to continually apply for remands and requests to keep someone on bail (conditional or otherwise) for extended periods simply because the CPS has not finished its preparation. Justice delayed is justice denied and that applies equally to defendants as well as alleged victims. The police need to get their act together.
//NJ so you are saying they are all innocent of any crime>//
No I'm not. Simply because I (nor anybody else) knows. Equally I'm not saying they are all guilty.
The issue is that the law presumes them innocent until they are proved guilty. Whilst that presumption is not a fact it is a legal convention along with which goes (or should go) certain protections. Uppermost among them is that, as someone presumed innocent, they should not be subject to restrictions on their behaviour which other people would not be subject to for any longer than necessary. Over and above that, if they are suspected of an offence they should be entitled to know whether charges are to be brought within a reasonable time and not kept on bail for prolonged periods.
There were instances before the 2017 changes of people being on bail pending the completion of enquiries for many months. Those suspected under Operation Yewtree among them. Parliament decided that these innocent people should not be subject to police bail for more than 28 days. The police have to work with that and the best way they can protect alleged victims is to make their enquiries quickly and efficiently.
Regular readers will be under no illusion that I am a "Bleeding Heart Liberal". I support robust law and order measures and effective sentencing. But I do not support the idea that individuals can be under suspicion for lengthy periods whilst the police and CPS indulge themselves in prolonged deliberations.
No I'm not. Simply because I (nor anybody else) knows. Equally I'm not saying they are all guilty.
The issue is that the law presumes them innocent until they are proved guilty. Whilst that presumption is not a fact it is a legal convention along with which goes (or should go) certain protections. Uppermost among them is that, as someone presumed innocent, they should not be subject to restrictions on their behaviour which other people would not be subject to for any longer than necessary. Over and above that, if they are suspected of an offence they should be entitled to know whether charges are to be brought within a reasonable time and not kept on bail for prolonged periods.
There were instances before the 2017 changes of people being on bail pending the completion of enquiries for many months. Those suspected under Operation Yewtree among them. Parliament decided that these innocent people should not be subject to police bail for more than 28 days. The police have to work with that and the best way they can protect alleged victims is to make their enquiries quickly and efficiently.
Regular readers will be under no illusion that I am a "Bleeding Heart Liberal". I support robust law and order measures and effective sentencing. But I do not support the idea that individuals can be under suspicion for lengthy periods whilst the police and CPS indulge themselves in prolonged deliberations.
