42-day detention limit

Thank goodness for people in power who have integrity, foresight and independence and as a consequence can say what they see.

Sir Ken MacDonald, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said on the World at One:-

"The basic point is whether you want to legislate on the basis of hypotheticals or whether you want to legislate on the basis of the evidence that we have acquired through practice.

"It seems to me that if you are legislating in an area which is going to curtail civil liberties to a significant extent, it is better to proceed by way of the evidence and the evidence of experience."

He added: "We have found that a period of 28 days does work for us as prosecutors. "We can charge on the basis of a 'reasonable suspicion' within that period so long as we anticipate that sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction will be forthcoming within a reasonable period."

Sir Ken said if it had not been possible to get enough evidence to provide reasonable suspicion in 28 days, then it would be hard to convince a judge that it could be achieved in 35 or 42 days.

Who do you trust more, the prosecutor or the politicians shouting "Trust us!"?