§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the police that there should be a power by the police to detain a suspect for longer than 24 hours without charge.
§ Mr. MayhewThere has long been provision in the law, as now expressed in section 43 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, for suspects to be detained in this way. Consultations following the publication of the report of the Royal Commission on criminal procedure disclosed support by all the police representative bodies for the commission's view that such detention should contine to be lawful in the interests of the effective investigation of the most serious offences.