Speeding up justice

NEW restrictions on the length of time criminal suspects can be held on bail pending a decision on whether to charge them have been greeted with dismay by police chiefs.

They say the 28-day limit – extendable to three months on the authority of a senior officer and longer with the permission of a magistrate – is too brief, especially in complex cases such as cyber crime and elaborate fraud.

They also fear that suspects would have to be released too soon and may interfere with victims and witnesses.

But while these may be very real concerns, the police have only themselves to blame. For far too long they have grown used to abusing bail, keeping suspects in limbo for cruelly excessive periods while they dither over what to do with them.

DJ Paul Gambaccini languished for a year before spurious historical sex crime allegations were dropped. And more than 20 Sun journalists spent up to three years on bail over accusations of bribing public officials before finally being exonerated. Isn’t that an abuse of power?

In future, if the police need more than 28 days to decide on charges, they will have to explain why. What’s so unfair about that? TED Malloch, Donald Trump’s designated ambassador to the EU, believes it could take just 180 days for Britain and the US to strike a trade deal that would eliminate import tariffs on cars, food and clothes. If only the sclerotic EU – which took seven years to sign a free trade agreement with Canada – showed the same sense of urgency and can-do spirit.