Bail conundrum

THE Law Society is right to criticise figures which indicate that police forces are increasingly keeping people on bail for unnecessarily lengthy periods – in one case, more than three-and-a-half years.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th May 2013, 10:57 BST

West Yorkshire is second only to the Metropolitan Police in terms of the number of individuals currently on bail, with 3,979. Of those, 859 have been in that position for more than six months.

Notwithstanding budget cuts that mean the police service is having to do more with less, the interests of justice dictate that such sluggish turnaround times should be addressed and decisions made much sooner on whether someone is to be charged.

Yet, in calling for the introduction of a statutory time limit of 28 days, the Law Society under-estimates the legwork that is required for officers and the Crown Prosecution Service to make such a key decision.

Reduced funding and staff cuts, coupled with the increasing sophistication of criminals and often complex issues of national security, mean such a limit would seriously impinge on the police’s ability to do their job.

West Yorkshire