Reasonable force

The Home Secretary has announced that there will be no change in the law on the amount of force householders may use to combat burglars. The current provision for "reasonable force", he said, was "sound", and he promised an advertising campaign to ensure that people know their rights. This is a sensible conclusion to a panic whipped up around a couple of high-profile, exceptional cases. We would only ask why the Prime Minister suggested that the law needed another look. At the time, it looked as though he was trying to co-opt another Tory crowd-pleaser. It looks even more like that in the light of Charles Clarke's decision.

The Home Secretary has announced that there will be no change in the law on the amount of force householders may use to combat burglars. The current provision for "reasonable force", he said, was "sound", and he promised an advertising campaign to ensure that people know their rights. This is a sensible conclusion to a panic whipped up around a couple of high-profile, exceptional cases. We would only ask why the Prime Minister suggested that the law needed another look. At the time, it looked as though he was trying to co-opt another Tory crowd-pleaser. It looks even more like that in the light of Charles Clarke's decision.