Just when they were not looking...

An alarming picture has risen about possible offenders who have been released on bail.

For 34 police forces in England and Wales, excluding the very large example of the Metropolitan Police, of the 462 murders committed in 2007 79 murderers were on bail at the time, or approximately 1 in 6!

In Avon and Somerset just under half of those charged with murder in 2007 were on bail for other offences, - three on police bail, three on court bail, and two on both court and police bail.

This week The Daily Telegraph reported that in February 2008 nationally 60 murder suspects were free, having been released on bail by the courts. The number of manslaughter suspects had an even higher proportion, - 35 on bail out of 41.

Police leaders are talking about a "systematic failure " in the bail process which is hampering their work, and leading to a a series of high profile murder cases which have filled our newspapers and television screens.

The cause, of course, is the pressure on courts to release on bail in order to ease the pressures in the overcrowded prison system.

In 2006 64,800 defendants suspected of violent attacks were granted bail. Of these almost one in ten , or 5,500 absconded! Mercifully, it seems that they did not engage in further violent attacks, or at least have not been discovered to have done so.