Government response to consultation on pre-charge bail legislation published

Article summary

The Home Office has published the government’s response to the consultation on pre-charge bail legislation. The response also includes an evidence review of pre-charge bail and notes the impact of the Home Office’s proposed changes. The government has proposed to take forward the proposal to remove the statutory presumption to release without bail. Measures such as adjusting the timescales and authorisation levels for pre-charge bail to ‘better reflect the operational realities faced by investigating officers, whilst maintaining rigorous oversight of decisions to extend bail timelines’ and establishing plans to ensure that victims are ‘a key part in the pre-charge bail process’ are also to be taken forward. The government also plans to take forward the proposal to work with policing stakeholders to ensure there is ‘appropriate guidance to operate the pre-charge bail system’.