Voices: The number of women losing their lives to domestic abuse in the UK is far higher than we realise

‘Criminologists like me will tell you that it is the surety of being held to account that best prevents crime – and not simply the severity of the sentences we impose’ - (Getty)

It was crime novelist PD James who said that the detective story is less about murder than the restoration of order. There is much truth in this. Detective drama is a mainstay of our entertainment, and the most successful formula sees the tenacious detective catch the killer against all odds.

These fictional detectives have varying flaws and skills, but they all want that killer brought to justice. And we root for that detective, feeling safe in the knowledge that things will resolve, because the stakes are so high. We have to believe that of all the injustices and crimes we may suffer, at least we are protected from that one, because we believe that all but the most determined killers will be caught.