There’s been a lot of talk on this subject in the past few weeks, and as someone who’s been burgled in the past, I’d like to have my say.

In my opinion, if someone is prepared to break into your home while you’re asleep, it’s not far fetched to believe they’ll be carrying a weapon. In that case, I think it’s reasonable to strike this person until they are incapable of striking you. Whether this is through wrestling to the ground, a punch, hit with a blunt object or a stab, it is somebody’s right in their own home to do this.

This can obviously lead to injury to the burglar, or even death, but it’s their choice to break in to someone’s home, potentially putting their family at risk.

I’ve read about the story in Salford, where recently, Peter Flanagan, 59, stabbed and killed an intruder in his home. Flanagan has since been arrested on suspicion of murder, but bailed pending further enquiries. It appears that the burglar, John Bennell, 27, was on bail for a previous suspected burglary.

I imagine, whether appropriate force was used or not, as in all of these cases, the police have to carry out thorough proceedings, and until they do so, the suspect must be kept on bail. I have a feeling Peter Flanagan will be released without charge once the police have investigated the incident.

This takes us to Clarke’s speech. Last week, he said to the BBC ‘If an old lady finds she has got an 18-year-old burgling her house and she picks up a kitchen knife and sticks it in him, she has not committed a criminal offence and we will make that clear. There is no doubt that you or I or anybody else is entitled to use reasonable force to defend ourselves or our homes, or both.’ This is only a clarification of the law as it previously stood. A homeowner is allowed to defend their home as long as it constitutes ‘reasonable force.’ David Cameron has promised to back the homeowner and I suspect the correct laws will be changed to accommodate this.

My question is, will this speech and imminent change in legislation over burglars rights help reduce burglaries in the future? I don’t think it will.

The reality is, if someone is willing to break into another person’s home, and steal personal and monetary possessions, devoid of remorse, then there is something seriously wrong with them in the first place. I don’t want to stereotype, but a lot of burglaries are drug related. An addict needs a drug so badly that they’re prepared to do anything in order to get it. The thought of being approached by a homeowner with a license to kill probably wont be considered, just as their feelings weren’t in the first place. If they’re not a drug user, they might have mental problems that haven’t been addressed.

I don’t know whether John Bennell was a drug addict or had mental problems. What I do know, however, is that he was on police bail for burglary at the time of his death. If the police decided to spend a bit of time assessing his chances of offending whilst on bail, or sent him to rehab or for psychiatric tests, he might still be alive today. I also believe that while the government are letting habitual burglars out on bail and giving them disgustingly short sentences, they give the homeowner no choice but to take the law into their own hands.