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Straw branded a 'hypocrite' over self-defence law U-turn
Last updated at 06:37am on 28.09.07Jack Straw was last night accused of "rank hypocrisy" after he pledged to rewrite the laws on self-defence.
The Justice Secretary promised that greater legal protection would be offered to have-a-go heroes and homeowners who use force against a burglar.
But critics pointed out that Mr Straw had failed to act on the issue during the four years he was Home Secretary.
And rank-and-file police said it was "irresponsible for a government to use such a potentially dangerous subject to demonstrate a proactive stance on crime".
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Jan Berry, leader of the Police Federation, added that it could lead to the
public trying to take the law into their own hands.
Mr Straw, who has himself tackled criminals on four occasions, insisted he had wanted to change the law while he was in charge of the Home Office from 1997 to 2001.
He said that "other matters intervened" and he was moved to the job of Foreign Secretary before he could shift the legal balance in the public's favour.
Yesterday he told the Labour conference that he had ordered a review into whether the legislation should be reframed, so the public can be certain the law is on their side when they act to protect themselves or their homes.
But Mr Straw - and other Labour ministers - have repeatedly blocked such attempts by opposition MPs.
In 2000, following controversy over the conviction of farmer Tony Martin for shooting an intruder at his home, Mr Straw flatly rejected calls by then Tory leader William Hague for the law to be changed.
Four years later, Tony Blair promised to review the existing legislation after he admitted there was "genuine public concern" about the issue.
But his pledge was dropped weeks later after the then Home Secretary Charles Clarke concluded that the current law was "sound".
Two Private Member's Bills on the issue were tabled by the Tories around the time of the 2005 general election, but both were sunk by the Government.
In 2004, a Tory Bill designed to give the public the right to forcibly tackle burglars was also rejected.
Tory justice spokesman Nick Herbert said: "This is rank hypocrisy.
"Jack Straw, the Government and Labour MPs have fought us for years when we repeatedly urged a change in the law to allow people to protect their homes against burglars and the last time the Government cynically signalled a change on this they reneged just months later.
"People will rightly question the motive and substance of this latest review."
Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "All this is a bit rich coming from Jack Straw now.
"He was Home Secretary for four years and did nothing to protect have-a-go heroes then when the public were clamouring for it."
In a headline-grabbing speech, Mr Straw told Labour delegates that the move had been inspired by his own experiences of having stepped in to apprehend offenders on four occasions in the last 25 years.
He said: "I know from personal experience that you have all of a millisecond to make the judgment about whether to intervene.
"In such a situation, the law on self-defence works much better than most people think, but not as well as it could, or should."
He added that any reforms would seek to reassure people that the law allows them to use 'reasonable' force to apprehend suspects, as set out in the 1967 Criminal Law Act.
Last night, he faced accusation of blatant electioneering by moving on to ground already staked out by the Tories.
Enver Solomon, deputy director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said: "The law already makes it very clear that proportionate reasonable force can be used, so there is no reason why the Government would want to conduct a review unless it is intending to give greater power to citizens to stop and detain people breaking the law.
"This appears to be more about electioneering than anything else."
But a spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said any attempt to clarify existing "ambiguities" in the law should be welcomed.
Reader views (13)
Jack Straw is a hypocrite but his boss told him to... Nu Labor is a bad system for this country. Crash Gordon is going anyhow.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Cameron has been forced into an embarrassing u-turn on his juvenile green policies. He should not have tried to ape either Blair or the greens. Conservatives stand for personal freedoms - not being told what car to drive, what speed to drive at or how many times ordinary hard working folk can fly to well earned holidays. Cameron must use the conference to dump the environmental claptrap and get back to core Thatcher values of rewarding hard work with lower taxes and locking up the yobs and criminals.
- Mike Abbott, London, UK
Elections coming? U-turn! Elections over? Then back to spin, politically correct, social reason for the poor criminal etc. and self-defence illegal again.
- Georgie, London
Again a load of spin. With the likelihood we'll soon have a general election they're all jumping on the issues that really affect us. Once they've safeguarded their seats and positions, this will all fade into the background with statements of the system we have is already effective.
- Scott, Loughton, Essex
Better late than never.
What's needed is clear. If you are surprised by an intruder in your dwelling-place, and act in a split second of panic, it should be explicit that you cannot be blamed in any way for any action you take, even if it kills the intruder. "Reasonable" is no good - you have no time in which to reason!
- Nigel, London
Exactly Matt! All this Government promises to do is pile more legislation onto the groaning shelves. The Police are more worried about PR than helping the public. All it needs is an official instruction from the Government to the Police and courts to be lenient in these cases.
- Mark, London, UK
Jack Straw is absolutely right. Ring a Community Police Support Oficer who will issue you with an 'appropriate response' certificate which does not infringe the burglar's human rights. Should you respond to a punch on the nose from the burglar you can be charged with 'police obstruction. Welcome to Brown's Brave New World.
- Michael Murphy, Brightlingsea, England
After more than ten years of Labour rule, they are to announce a clampdown on crime? The rampant crime would not have existed if Labour had not been elected since 1997.
The only way to reduce crime is for Smith and the rest to resign and call an election.
- P.Robinson, Northants
I sat next to Jack Straw and his wife in a restaurant in Oval a few months ago with no sign of protection officers, let alone being surrounded by them.
- Hobbs, London, UK
Since 1997, however, when Mr Straw became a senior Cabinet minister, he has been surrounded by armed protection officers and no longer travels by Tube.
Nice to see that he views the tube as unsafe and society in general a threat to his personal well being.
- Marc, Harrow, UK
If an uninvited person enters my home I will protect my family. The American way.
The law is ambiguous and favours the criminal.
- Charlie Gracie, Wellingborough, UK
"Zero tolerance', crime crackdown."
Ha ha!
- Dave, London
This is not a law problem - it's an implementation problem. The law already says you can use reasonable force, what is Jack Straw going to change that to -unreasonable force? Any force you feel like?
No, whatever he changes it to, coppers will have to make a decision. And Government arrest targets mean they will carry on erring on the side of caution and arresting people.
- Matt, Herts, UK
