The Government has confirmed it is working on plans to prevent the men responsible for killing PC Andrew Harper from walking free early. More than 900,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the killers serve their full sentences behind bars.
Government response and timeline
Speaking on LBC this morning, Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said the strategy would be laid out when Parliament returns in September. Justice Secretary Alex Norris is leading the urgent review. Asked by presenter Nick Ferrari whether the measures would include killers of police officers, Rayner replied: "Yes. The Prime Minister is really clear that these people who have committed the most abhorrent crimes should not be released early, and he wants to set out in September with the Justice Secretary how we can resolve this issue."
This morning's announcement follows mounting pressure from PC Harper's relatives and police forces to prevent Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who received 13-year sentences for manslaughter, from being released in January under current arrangements.
Pressure and policy shift
Only yesterday, Downing Street said it was "not possible" to exclude "one or two offenders" convicted of manslaughter from the early release programme. But since then, Norris has said he will examine ways to keep "a greater number of the most serious offenders" imprisoned. However, no solution has yet been found, though Norris is looking at a range of possible options. Rayner suggested these could include speeding up the deportation of foreign criminals, reviewing indeterminate sentences, and looking at women prisoners' jail terms.
Posting on Facebook, the Prime Minister today said he is "increasingly confident" the killers of PC Andrew Harper will not be released early from their sentences, as he set out plans to ease the prison capacity crisis. "I understand the depth of public concern about the potential early release of those involved with the killing of PC Andrew Harper – and I share it. It is incumbent on me as Prime Minister to do everything within my power to minimise that possibility. And I am determined to do so."
Background of the case
PC Harper was fatally injured when he became caught in a strap attached to the rear of a vehicle and was dragged along a country road as his killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019. Two of PC Harper's three killers, Cole and Bowers, are due to be released halfway through their 13-year sentences, having been convicted of manslaughter in 2020.
Around 5,000 inmates are set to be released early under the wider scheme, which was designed to prevent prisons from overflowing. The Government has already exempted individuals convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming.
Reactions and next steps
Last week, the Prime Minister stated he had "pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do without risking the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing" by introducing these exemptions. More than 900,000 people have signed a petition demanding that PC Harper's killers serve their full sentences behind bars.
PC Harper's mother revealed she had received a telephone call from Downing Street on Monday evening and now has "got a little bit of hope that we didn't have before" that the killers will not be released ahead of schedule. Speaking about her conversation with a member of the Prime Minister's staff, Debbie Adlam told BBC Breakfast: "She said that he wanted to convey that he wants to do everything that he can and has more hope now of finding a resolution to this to try and keep them in prison. I think the fact that it's actually come from Downing Street – I've got to try and have some faith in it but, at the same time, I have to protect my own feelings."
Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O'Connor told BBC's Today programme: "I genuinely believe that the powers that be, Andy Burnham – and the difficult decisions that they have to make – he will make the right choices here, and he will come on board with us, and he'll get the right side of the line."
Broader context and implications
The changes under the Sentencing Act passed earlier this year reduced the minimum period that many offenders would be required to serve behind bars. Those released will be subject to stricter probation requirements, including electronic tagging, random drug testing, and potential prohibitions on driving, visiting pubs, and attending events such as football matches.
