Getting bail needs to be made more difficult

THE EDITOR: How often have you read about a person who has 20 or more charges pending and is out on bail? This comes to light only when the person has an encounter with the police and is sometimes shot and killed. Are we a civilised society? How can a person facing so many charges be free to roam about?

Many years ago someone I knew in the protective services related to me how these criminals operate. A police will risk his life to arrest someone for possession of an illegal firearm and will take him to the police station. While this is happening the criminal’s contacts are busy making arrangements to secure his release on bail.

On arrival at the station the bailor, the lawyer, the Justice of the Peace and whoever else is required for granting bail are already there awaiting the person's arrival.

So the criminal secures bail, never mind he is already on bail for numerous charges, and is out on the street the next day taunting the same police who arrested him. What else does he do? He has to continue stealing to get money to pay those who secured bail for him. These services are not free or cheap. Thus this bail system is indirectly encouraging crime.

It is therefore imperative that the Government does something to make bail more difficult to access. Of equal importance is to have trials within reasonable timeframes so that these criminals can be put away.

The ball is now in the justice system court.

JOSH PEERAI

via e-mail