FEWER people will be released on bail by North Yorkshire Police from today.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 has limited pre-charge bail to 28 days, with extensions required by Superintendents after that. Any extensions past three months will now require a judicial review by magistrates.

The move has been put forward by the government, following a number of national high profile cases where people have remained on bail for months or years without any charge or judicial outcome at the end of it.

From now on, when bail is not considered proportionate, the arrested person will be released "not on bail under investigation", while police enquiries continue.

However, more serious cases including sexual assaults, serious physical assault and cases with issues of vulnerability, bail will continue to be applied.

The number of people released on bail has dropped from 1,000 to just over 600 in the last two years, following the introduction of the College of Policing National Bail Standards in 2015, but the latest changes aim to reduce that further.

Chief Inspector Allan Wescott, head of custody at North Yorkshire Police, said the requirement of bail would be carefully considered in every case.

He said: "I can reassure the public of North Yorkshire that in those cases where bail remains a requirement to protect our most vulnerable victims and witnesses, it will still be applied.

"The new legislation will actually mean that officers will apply further consideration to all the circumstances in a case and they will be required to do more up front investigation work. The changes mean that the timing of investigations will become crucial, with an aim to reach the best possible outcome for the victim as swiftly as possible."

Anyone concerned about the changes, or who would like to find out more can contact Supporting Victims on 01609 643100, emailing help@supportingvictims.org or at supportingvictims.org