Prosecuting householders is not the only measure

In this BBC report we see that Michael Howard, leader of the Tory party, accuses Tony Blair of performing U-turns over rules on using force against burglars. Expected and not particularly interesting but what did catch my eye was this little snippet in defence of current legislation by the director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald:

only 11 householders or occupiers of business premises have been prosecuted in the last 15 years.

What he doesn't mention is the number of householders who have felt persecuted by the police after offering up violence to an intruder. Take Derek Godfrey-Brown for example who spent nine and a half months under the spectre of a trial for grievous bodily harm only to have the case dropped by the CPS a week before the trial was due.

It's not all about prosecutions.