Following a series of meetings in Lichfield and Burntwood with concerned residents, Michael Fabricant will introduce a Bill in Parliament as soon as possible after the summer recess to permit property holders to protect their homes with "static devices" without fear of prosecution by the very people committing the crime. Michael formerly served on the Home Affairs Committee.

At present, if a burglar injures himself on barbed wire while gaining illegal entry to someone’s property, he can sue the property holder for personal injury. "In this respect, the law is an ass", says Michael Fabricant. "With fewer police officers on patrol than in living memory, it is madness that law abiding citizens cannot protect their own property against burglary and vandalism. This is not a licence for property holders to use guns, but it would enable them to use static devices such as barbed wire, electric fences, glass on the top of walls, and anti-climb paint. A small sign would have to be displayed that such devices exist, but it would be no defence if a burglar claimed that in the dead of night he could not see the sign while committing an illegal act. It is a shame we have come to this.

"There is a basic tenet in English law: A person willingly submitting himself to danger cannot sue if he is then injured. My Bill would introduce a new, but obvious and common-sense, principle: A person engaged in a crime cannot sue if he is injured in the course of such a crime" adds Michael Fabricant. "We have 240 fewer patrolling police officers in Staffordshire than four years ago. It is clear that people feel vulnerable and unprotected. We need many more police officers and I welcome the Association of Chief Police Officers’ recent demand for a further 20,000 police men and women. In the meantime, my legal measure will enable property holders to protect themselves and their property without fear of prosecution by thieves and vandals." The Bill will receive its first reading in the Commons in late October/early November and will be debated in 2002.