Government incompetence on terrorist arrest analysis

We have, in the past week, been subjected to a lot of talk about security. Gordon Brown has told us in the Commons and in speeches that the defence of the realm is the primary duty of Government. Especially the defence of the realm against terrorist - hence we need to be lock people up without trial for longer.

Yet how many people have actually had to be held for the current maximum of 28 days which came into force in July 2006? Six, that's how many. Six people held for 27 or 28 days according to Home Secretary. Three were charged and the other three were released without charge.

Now the Government argues that the limit is not long enough because sometimes we need longer to compile the evidence. The implication of that being that there are people that there may be people that we have had to release who we have later re-arrested when evidence has been found.

'How many suspects detained without charge on suspicion of terrorist offences for 28 days have subsequently been re-arrested for a terrorist related offence?' you may ask. The answer? The Government has no idea, they don't keep figures on it.

Yes honestly, the Government which apparently wants to protect us all by giving itself the power to lock people up for 56 days without charge, because the threat these people face is so great, have no idea whether the people they release get re-arrested.

How can we accept the argument that it "might" be necessary, fi they;re not even bothering to note who gets re-arrested for terrorist offences and thus might have been someone they could use in defence of extending the detention limit?