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Armed Forces Bill

I cannot, but I will hypothesise. Serving at a generally lower tempo of operations than what is going on inside Iraq, one of the warrant officers, second class, under my command, not, I hasten to add, from my cap badge, but from the Royal Military Police, attempted to murder his interpreter in the Serb republic. As his commanding officer, the case was referred to me. I immediately understood that it was a schedule 2 case, which had to be dealt with. I could not possibly say, in the circumstances, whether I should or should not have dealt with it. I immediately passed that on to the relevant legal authority. Had we been involved in a pursuit of the enemy at that stage, had we been involved in circumstances such as those in Iraq, I would have wanted the power to hand, so that I could reassure the private soldiers, lance corporals, under my command, that they would always be protected by someone whom they knew who understood the circumstances.