No bail for prisoners who are violent, say Tories

Violent and prolific criminals would automatically be remanded in custody under plans published by the Conservatives today

The party says public faith in criminal justice is being eroded by the failure to detain many people suspected of serious crimes and the fact that 28,000 defendants skip bail every year. While only 11 per cent of defendants were jailed for absconding, the latest figures show that 12,900 – or 47 per cent of "bail bandits" – were simply fined for the offence in England and Wales.

Four fifths of people charged with criminal offences are freed awaiting trial and one in six killings is committed by an offender released on bail. They include the murder of Garry Newlove, the father kicked to death on his doorstep in Warrington after he challenged a group of drunken youths over damage to the family car.

The Conservatives will call for all suspects who have been previously convicted of the most serious offences to be denied bail. Persistent offenders and people who have jumped bail would also be remanded in custody, unless they could produce a convincing case for their release. There would also be a "strong presumption against bail" in murder cases.

Critics will argue there is no space in overcrowded jails to hold an influx of offenders refused bail, but the Tories say the move would lead to fewer crimes being committed. Nick Herbert, the shadow Justice Secretary, said judges should be required to consider public safety before approving a bail application. He said: "The current system is not working – bail is too easily granted, frequently breached and improperly enforced.

"Public confidence is undermined when bail conditions are routinely breached, offenders hold the criminal justice system in contempt and new victims of crime are created unnecessarily. It is time to tighten the bail laws."

Figures for 2006 released by the Conservatives yesterday said the average fine for failing to surrender to bail was £60, which they said was the same as the minimum penalty for failing to pay London's congestion charge. Describing the penalties for jumping bail as "seriously deficient", they are calling for a new offence of breach of bail which would carry a prison sentence.