The real problem lies not with the arrest of people suspected of crimes, whatever the evidence that suspicion is based on, but the readines many have to suppose that a person is guilty just because they have been arrested.

In this country people are assumed innocent until proved guilty and it is high time that this principle is drummed into the psyche of the general public.  There is far too much of the mob mentality for my liking.  Put the blame for the "ruining of a persons reputation" not on the police who have to act on reports but where it belongs, on the ignorance of the general public.

As for the use of verbal evidence often this is the only evidence that is available but that doesn't mean that it is not evidence.  We have a jury system in this country that hears all the evidence and makes a decision based on that evidence.  Not perfect but about as good as it can be.

Where a defendant comes before a court and there is only verbal evidence to support the prosecution then that will often fail as is demonstrated by the low conviction rate for rape - of all rape cases reported less than 7% result in a conviction - only a third of reported cases get as far as a trial and of those less than a quarter result in a conviction.  More than half of those were due to the defendant pleading guilty.  Those figures seem to demonstrate that it is very difficult to be convicted on the basis of verbal evidence alone.

Ignoring and/or discounting verbal evidence can lead to a tragic outcome as demonstrated by the Soham murders

"April 1998: Rape
Huntley is arrested after a woman claimed he had raped her. She met Huntley at a nightclub, they shared a taxi home and went back to her house. The alleged victim did have a medical examination. Huntley admits they had sex but claimed it was consensual. The police took the view there was not enough evidence to take the matter any further. "

"May 1998: Rape charge
Another woman claims Huntley raped her while she was walking home from a nightclub. She said Huntley attacked her in an isolated spot and threatened to kill her. Huntley again claims the sex was consensual. Huntley is charged with rape. After viewing CCTV footage from the nightclub, the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was no chance of a conviction and dropped the case. "

"

July 1998: Indecent assault
A young girl claims she was subject to a serious indecent assault by a man called Ian 10 months before, when she was 12 years old. Huntley, who was living in her street at the time is arrested and denies the allegation.

Huntley had been living in a caravan with his then 15-year-old girlfriend - she was away that day. The 10-year-old told police he threatened her with pressure points saying he was an expert in martial arts, he had his hands round her neck and told her if she told anybody he would kill her.

She was interviewed but Humberside Police decided not to proceed with the case."

"February 1999: Rape
A 17-year-old girl alleges that Huntley had raped her in February after meeting him at a night club. She had met him before and Huntley claimed the sex was consensual. The police decided there was not enough evidence to proceed."