Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidelines are given to police officers on giving consideration to the existence of one or more past offences by a suspect when taking a decision on granting bail.

The reasons for which police may refuse, or set conditions on, bail are set out in the Bail Act 1976 and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The police have operational independence and are able to exercise their judgement as to whether the conditions set out in these statutes are met. The Home Office has not issued any guidance on these matters.