Delays in the criminal justice system need to be addressed for us to consistently reduce time on bail

National Policing Lead for Bail, Assistant Chief Constable Alison Roome-Gifford said:

“The police service wants and needs a bail process that is efficient and proportionate both for the sake of victims and those who are suspected of committing crimes. The issue at the heart of this is the rigorous management of bail, not use of bail itself.

“The police service is committed to ensuring that people spend the minimum possible time on bail, as demonstrated in the recent College of Policing response to a public consultation on this issue. Complex investigations into cyber-crime, sexual offences and fraud will always take longer but it is incumbent on us to investigate them thoroughly otherwise we will risk failing victims. However, if we do not deal with delays elsewhere in the criminal justice system, such as the length of time taken to obtain expert witness statements or an apparent lack of capacity to deal with the very significant increase in digital evidence, police will struggle to investigate fully in the timescale recommended.

“The two models for authorising pre-charge bail suggested in the Home Office consultation document risk creating much greater bureaucracy.

“We will contribute to the consultation and work closely with the College of Policing and the Home Office to improve the management of the bail process.”