POLICE AND PRESS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] Sza,—The article on " Police and Press " in your last issue should draw attention to the vagueness and uncertainty of purpose of parts of our criminal law. If any law requires definition it is the criminal law and what is allowable and what is not should be made clear to all. May it not be sug- gested that all criminal statutes should have a preamble or recitals setting out clearly the cases which the statute is to cover and that rubrics should be inserted for the guidance of judges and juries ? This should be quite simple and the most only mean a little extra printing. According to the article to which I have referred certain assurances as to th working of the Official Secrets Act were given in Parliamer when the Act was passed seventeen years ago. Are the and prosecuting authorities supposed to have knowledge e' these assurances which, after all, have no legal effect an•' can only be remembered by reference to old newspaper, Again, suppose the Act had been passed 70 or zoo years ag, there would be nobody living who could recollect for w11:.- purposes the Act had been passed.—Yours faithfully,
G. W. R. THomsoN.
Law Society's Hall, Chancery Lane, London, W.C. 2.
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