Tony McNulty MP, Labour's former Home Office Minister, responding to Dominic Grieve's speech at Tory Party Conference, said:

"The Tories are once again following where a Labour government leads, with their suggestions for changes to Health and Safety legislation and to the treatment of 'have a go' heroes by the police and prosecutors.

"We are already working with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Health and Safety Executive to put into place new protocols to ensure that police officers and PCSOs are not prevented from carrying out their duties by Health and Safety legislation.

"Police officers and PCSOs play a vital role in our community, tackling and reducing crime in sometimes dangerous circumstances. The lives of police officers and PCSOs are as important as those of the people they serve, and this government will back the police service in the day-to-day operational decisions they make in protecting the public against crime and terrorism. And we will ensure that the criminal justice system is firmly weighted in favour of the victim, not the criminal.

"On ID cards, Dominic Grieve clearly isn't paying attention. Only last Thursday, Jacqui Smith launched the first UK identity card. ID cards will help protect against identity fraud, illegal working, and reduce the use of multiple identities in organised crime and terrorism.

"Dominic Grieve heaped praise on David Davis. But he was silent about his predecessor's opposition to CCTV - which makes our streets and town centres safer - and to DNA testing, which has helped to catch hundreds of murderers and rapists.

"And just because he was speaking to an empty hall at Tory Party Conference, that doesn't mean Dominic Grieve can get away without proper scrutiny of his irresponsible and ill thought-out policies. "

Maria Eagle MP, Labour's Justice Minister, said:

"We have also acted to ensure that those who use reasonable force to protect themselves can have greater confidence that they will not be prosecuted themselves, with changes to the self-defence provisions made in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act passed in July this year. And the Tories might be taken more seriously if they'd made any recommendations themselves during the year-long review of PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act) which has just taken place."

Recently a rapist was prosecuted and convicted, 20 years after committing the crime. His arrest followed a DNA match from a more recent offence. The victim said this brought a depth of closure and relief which she never expected to experience.

Should we stop the police storing DNA evidence and samples ? Should we ask the law to protect victims or just the civil liberties of offenders ?