Policing leaders from across the UK have piled pressure on the Prime Minister
Andy Burnham is facing pressure over the prison early release scheme (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been urged by every police chief in Britain to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers. A letter from 50 police leaders including Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar heaps more pressure on the Prime Minister over the row.
Mr Burnham has ordered Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to free up prison space for serious offenders as he seeks to stop PC Harper’s killers from being let out. The police leaders said they welcomed the intervention but raised wider concerns over the early release of scheme, which is aimed at tackling overcrowding in jails but has sparked widespread outrage.
The letter, signed by police chiefs of forces across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, says: “When the state asks people to run towards danger on behalf of the public, they should be able to trust that the justice system will stand behind them when the worst happens.
“Pc Andrew Harper’s case also raises a wider question.
“When someone is sentenced for an exceptionally serious offence, how much confidence can victims, bereaved families and the public place in that sentence if subsequent changes to release arrangements result in an offender being released significantly earlier than originally anticipated?”
The question extends “far beyond policing”, they said, adding that “families across the country are now facing the distress of learning that offenders may be released earlier than they understood when sentence was passed”.
The letter added: “Officers and staff understand that the law must be applied as it stands. But they will question what message this sends about the value placed on their service and sacrifice when they put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
“Police officers and staff see first-hand the impact serious crime has on victims and their families. They support people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives and ask them to place their trust in the justice system.
“That trust is vital and should not be weakened. We are also collectively concerned that an approach to early release which does not sufficiently distinguish the most serious offending risks undermining public safety, victim confidence and wider confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Mr Burnham had earlier said he is “increasingly confident” Pc Harper’s killers will not be released early from their sentences because ways can be found to free up prison space for serious offenders.
The Prime Minister ordered a review of the controversial early release scheme shortly after entering 10 Downing Street.
While changes were announced to prevent rapists and paedophiles being released early the measures did not cover PC Harper’s killers.
The officer died after getting caught to a car and dragged down a country road as three men fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.
Two of his killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, are set to be released next year halfway through their 13-year sentences, after being convicted of manslaughter in 2020.
Before the early release scheme brought in by Labour, which is aimed at tackling overcrowding in jails, they would have served two-thirds of their term.