Women will be killed as a result of Government’s ‘unsafe’ early release scheme, probation bosses warns

PROBATION bosses are warning women will be killed because of the ­Government’s “unsafe” early release scheme, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. The union Napo, which ­represents probation and court staff, has also declared no ­confidence in the Prison and Probation Service. PC Andrew Harper’s killers Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole will be eligible to leave prison after serving half their sentences Credit: PA A petition against the thugs’ early release has passed 810,000 signatures Credit: The Sun Bosses are now balloting on strike action after slamming PM Andy Burnham and Justice Secretary Alex Norris in a message to members. Mr Burnham has been forced to roll back parts of the “unfit” release programme after a public backlash. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Serious sex offenders including rapists will now be excluded from the plan. But there will be no change to manslaughter cases — meaning two of the killers of PC Andrew Harper’s killers are due out. Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole will be eligible to leave prison after serving half their sentences. A petition against the thugs’ early release has passed 810,000 signatures. In total, from next month the number of offenders monitored by tags, which are overseen by ­probation workers, will hit 40,000 — up from 28,000 earlier this year. Ministers are now said to be looking at further U-turns in the first major scandal of Mr Burnham’s premiership. Most read in The Sun Napo says the reversals do not go far enough, warning in a major intervention that ministers have failed to “address the real issues of public and safe releases”. The union wrote to members: “The Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary have failed to ­acknowledge the probation workloads crisis that has afflicted the service for over two years.” A senior union source said “plans to release thousands of domestic abuse perpetrators and stalkers early” mean “more people, largely women, will be killed or harmed”. Ian Lawrence, Napo’s General Secretary, told The Sun on Sunday: “Everyone is talking about prisons, and yes it is bad, but the crisis in probation is far worse. But yet again, our members are being overlooked while all the attention is on prison.” Shadow safeguarding minister Alicia Kearns told The Sun on Sunday: “Probation officers are the last line of defence between dangerous men and the women they target. When they warn Labour’s early release scheme will get women murdered, every minister should be shamed into acting to protect us. Scrap this scheme now.” The Ministry of Justice said “Our record £700million investment in probation and community punishment is ensuring staff have the resources and powers to manage offenders safely in the community.” Comment now