Acting Chief Constable Scott Green of West Midlands Police has added his signature to a letter from 50 chief constables urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to prevent the early release of the killers of PC Andrew Harper. The letter, which was sent to the Prime Minister, backs his intervention and calls for every lawful option to be explored to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison.
Cole and Bowers were jailed for 13 years in 2020 for the killing of PC Harper, who died in 2019 while responding to a theft in Berkshire. Under the government's early release scheme, introduced to tackle prison overcrowding from October, they are set to become eligible for release in 2027, meaning they would have served only half of their sentence.
Prime Minister's Stance
Prime Minister Burnham has said he is 'increasingly confident' that he can prevent the release of 'serious offenders', specifically naming Cole and Bowers. The letter, signed by 50 chief constables including Scott Green, welcomes this intervention and the Prime Minister's instruction to the Justice Secretary to examine what can lawfully be done.
The full letter reads: 'Dear Prime Minister, we welcome your intervention regarding the potential earlier release of those responsible for the death of PC Andrew Harper, and your instruction to the Justice Secretary to examine what can lawfully be done.'
Concerns Over Public Trust
The letter highlights 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?' It adds that families across the country are facing distress as offenders may be released earlier than understood when sentence was passed.
The chiefs stress that their concern is for all victims and families, not just police families, stating: 'We do not suggest that the grief of a police family is greater than that of any other bereaved family, nor that the life of an emergency worker has greater value.'
Harper's Law and Its Legacy
Following PC Harper's death, his widow Lissie Harper campaigned for a change in the law, leading Parliament to establish Harper's Law, which recognises the exceptional risks emergency workers take. The letter notes that while Harper's Law cannot retrospectively alter the sentences in this case, its principle remains important: 'Those who serve and protect the public should know that the justice system recognises the risks they take on society's behalf.'
The letter also expresses profound strength of feeling across policing about the killers benefiting from early release arrangements, with officers questioning what message it sends about the value placed on their service and sacrifice.
Three Measures Requested
The chiefs ask the Government to consider three measures. First, to examine every lawful option to prevent the earlier release of those responsible for PC Harper's death. Second, to establish an additional public protection safeguard for the most serious offenders whenever future changes to sentencing or release arrangements are considered, including explicit consideration of public protection, victim impact and community safety. This should apply to serious offences such as serious violence against women and girls, stalking and harassment.
Third, victims and bereaved families must be properly considered whenever significant changes are made to sentencing or release arrangements, including the impact on victims, public protection, policing and confidence in the justice system.
The letter concludes: 'We make this request in memory of PC Andrew Harper, in support of his family, friends, colleagues and the communities he served and on behalf of all victims of serious offending. The public should be able to trust that when a court passes sentence for the most serious crimes, victims, public protection and confidence in the justice system remain at the heart of any subsequent decisions about release.' It is signed with the collective agreement and support of Chief Constables and Commissioners across the United Kingdom.
