SHOULD we really be surprised by the story we publish today that criminals released on bail are committing three crimes a day?

The courts are under orders to lock up only the most serious offenders because there is such little capacity in our prison system.

That means the majority are free to roam the streets — and inevitably some continue to offend.

In the sickening case of paedophile David Cullen, the consequences were beyond imagination.

In the case of burglar Richard Sawyer, it should have been blindingly obvious he wouldn’t have been able to help himself.

He was caught on camera climbing out through the window of a house he had just raided.

The long and short of it is there is not enough space in our jails to house these offenders.

Many people would prefer that burglars and other petty criminals were banged up.

But the sad truth is, we can’t.

There is a case to be made for criminals being let out on to the streets, repairing the roads, laying railway lines and building bridges.

In America, they used to call them chain gangs.

If we can’t build more new prisons then what about making use of some of the thousands of idle acres of former military camps around the country?

But we also need the Government to have the guts to back emergency measures like prison ships.