THERE was an investigation costing £4.6m, a wait of four-and-a-half years for it to come to court then a six week trial. But in the end, it took a jury just seven hours to ensure justice was done and common sense was restored.

The acquittal of the two firefighters prosecuted for the manslaughter of four colleagues, who died in a Warwickshire warehouse blaze in 2007, will hopefully bring a sense of closure for everyone involved in this tragedy. Everyone, that is, except the arsonists who, as things seem to go these days, have not been brought to justice.

A story from my early days in the police.

Some senior officers were discussing a disciplinary.

In walked their boss. After a short briefing, he asked how quickly the suspension could be imposed.

And, although it had never even figured in the earlier discussion, that was pretty much that. No debate, no protest, no delay. It was the establishment juggernaut getting into gear and tough luck on anyone who got in its way.

It is probably how decisions like the one to prosecute the firefighters are still taken. One person, not wiser, not better-informed than the others, just a bit more self-assured, has their say. The rest row in. Ranks close, the self-preservation society checks its roll and sees that all are present. There is safety in numbers.

I have spent a substantial part of the past 30 years at odds with whatever establishment I have been part of. Old habits die hard.

And so I wonder why prosecutions like this take place. They are needless, heartbreaking and ultimately pointless. Putting these men in the dock will not make the inherently perilous profession of firefighting any safer. The message it gives, if any, is that when in doubt, take the easy way out. Don’t take responsibility, shirk the difficult decisions. Delegate or do nothing.

I would venture that the person who decided on prosecution had less experience of life at the coal face than the men who stood accused. I doubt if he or she ever had to make a split-second decision on which the lives of others and their own future depended.

How did we come to this situation? Why have we surrendered so much to these flawed and faceless decision-makers? Health and safety laws misinterpreted or badly applied, political correctness and our compensation culture all play a part.

But so does our obsessive belief that when something goes wrong, there has to be someone to blame. It seems that there is no such thing any more as an honest mistake or an acceptance that we will never eliminate risk or human error from real life.

A couple of weeks back I watched on the TV as an Opposition front-bencher called for the head of some hapless minister. I forget which one – the condemned cell is a bit overcrowded these days, you know.

As the interview went on it became clear that no, they hadn’t actually read what he was supposed to have said, but they were still sure it was a resigning matter anyway.

It just about summed up what is wrong with public life these days. Even if you don’t know the facts you have to be seen to say something, demand something, preferably the end of someone else’s career. Executions by tabloid always draw a crowd.

If we keep on like this decent people attracted to public service will simply walk away. The faceless wonders will continue to make the decisions, clock off at five and retire well-pensioned and provided for.