Etan's family and Adam Walsh's parents have been particularly media savvy, she said, as they kept their cases front and center before the public and law enforcement.

CNN: Missing child case 'awakened America'

Mr Grayling's pledge on tackling burglars follows two particularly high-profile cases, which have divided public opinion over whether the law needs to change.

BBC: UK Politics

Arguably, it is Mr. Wilner's aggressive representation, along with the determined efforts of the Kuwait government, that has had the greatest influence in the outcome of all the enemy combatant cases, in the court of law and in the court of public opinion.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Gitmo's guerilla lawyers

The law requires the director of public prosecutions to use his discretion in deciding whether to bring such cases to trial.

ECONOMIST: Assisted suicide

But differences between the two cases are clearer and, in some ways, should set the broader public at ease, say former detectives, law enforcement officials and a forensic psychiatrist familiar with both cases.

CNN: L.A. manhunt reminiscent of D.C. sniper case

The law languished for a century until it was revived in 1986 by Senator Grassley and John Phillips of the Center for Law in the Public Interest, the lawyer who later went into private practice to pursue whistleblower cases.

FORBES: Issues & Ideas

Public pensions are a political minefield and before aggressively pursuing these cases it is understandable that regulators and law enforcement might choose to proceed with the utmost of caution, or not at all.

FORBES: The Growing Scrutiny of Pensions ( August 22, 2005)