UNDER guidelines issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, many of the people who use force to protect their property are likely to be spared the ordeal of going to trial.

While this seems a sensible move, it does put a tremendous responsibility on the police, who will be the first to decide whether householders acted "reasonably" against would-be burglars. One person's reasonableness could be another's over-reaction.

We disagree strongly with one senior judge, Judge Brian Woods, who will be saying on a BBC programme tonight that if confronted by a burglar a "firearm of some kind" would be his choice of weapon. As Lord Justice Judge points out, once we start having a culture in which everybody goes to bed with a loaded gun, more burglars will carry weapons. This newspaper has argued forcibly that the fewer guns there are in circulation, the safer it is for everyone.

We accept that householders should be able to use reasonable force to protect their homes, but the last thing we want is for people to assume they may take the law into their own hands. The new guidelines must make that clear.

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