Theresa May's plan to cap police bail has come too late for the many Sun journalists who waited in limbo for months after being arrested.
But if the home secretary does indeed introduce a statutory time limit on the use of police bail it will be welcome all the same.
Many Sun reporters and executives waited longer than a year - some even longer still - to hear whether they were to face a trial or be subject to no further action (NFAed).
As several have pointed out to me, the long wait under a cloud of suspicion has been psychologically damaging to them and their families. There have been instances of breakdowns.
In a democratic country, it seems extraordinary that the police can arrest people, place them on bail, and then leave them to stew while trying to obtain evidence in order to charge them.
In many instances, bail has been renewed many times over without the person even needing to attend a police station. The individual has been uncertain whether they have been under genuine investigation or whether the police have used the measure in order to intimidate them.
But May could face considerable opposition from the police. It is therefore important that she receive firm support for her reform of the system, which must be tight enough to prevent any possible misuse.
The following conditions must be met:
*Police bail should be for no more than 28 days before there is an application for renewal
*The renewal process must be transparent and the police must apply to a judge in order to get that renewal.
Then, of course, there is the matter of the police's use (misuse) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to seize journalists' phone records during a criminal investigation.
It is necessary for the communications between journalists and sources to be fully protected from such intrusion.
May does appear committed to introducing specific safeguards in the use of Ripa to prevent the secret seizure of journalists' phone records by police during criminal investigations. But there must be no backsliding.
She told the College of Policing she was "aware that there have been concerns over the use of Ripa to access journalists' phone records", and said that is why "we are revising the relevant code to make clear that specific consideration must be given to communications data requests involving those in sensitive professions, such as journalists."
That code will be published in draft form in the autumn "and will be subject to full public consultation so that anyone with concerns can feed in their views."
If May pulls off this twin reform - limiting the use of police bail and limiting the use of Ripa - all journalists will benefit. But those Sun staffers who spent month after month on bail will hardly be breaking out the champagne, will they?
