Police officers could be allowed to question defendants after charge following Home Office proposals to reform the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

But plans to enable the extension of detention in police custody to be authorised remotely by telephone or video link, and to transfer the responsibility for granting extensions from a superintendent to an inspector, will not be pursued.

The Home Office has also dropped proposals to require all video identification procedures to be video recorded and to remove the entitlement for a suspect’s solicitor to be present when a victim views the images.

New measures will be introduced to simplify pre-charge bail procedures and to give chief constables greater powers to use back-office staff for routine tasks.

Ian Kelcey, chairman of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, said: ‘It is good that the review rejected the root-and-branch changes they were talking about. We always said "if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it". But we do not agree with interview after charge – that is fundamentally unfair.’

Kelcey added that he would also like to see reform whereby, when a detainee changes their mind after asking for legal advice, they must speak to the solicitor to communicate that fact, rather than telling the police inspector as happens now.