Why police chiefs want to stop the early release of PC Harper's killers
Police chiefs from across the United Kingdom have written to the Prime Minister asking him to stop the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers. They say letting the men out early could make officers feel their service and sacrifice are not valued. BBC News
The chiefs made three requests. First, they want the government to use 'every lawful option' to check whether the early release can be stopped. Second, they want the seriousness of a prisoner's crime to carry more weight when sentences are changed. Third, they want victims and bereaved families to be 'properly considered' whenever big changes are made to how long people stay in prison. BBC News
PC Harper was killed in the line of duty in 2020. Three men were sentenced to 13 years in prison for manslaughter, which means causing death without intending to kill. Under changes to the law made this year, two of those men, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, become eligible for release after serving half their sentences. BBC News
Justice Secretary Andy Burnham has promised to use 'every lawful option' to stop the men being released early. He told another minister, Justice Secretary Alex Norris, to find a way to keep Cole and Bowers in prison. Burnham said he was 'increasingly confident' the killers would not be released early under the scheme. BBC News; The Guardian; Sky News
Burnham said he understands how deeply the public feels about the possible early release of those involved in PC Harper's killing. BBC News
The BBC reported that Burnham is confident a solution can be found to exclude Cole and Bowers from the early release scheme. BBC News
Justice Secretary Alex Norris will look at ways to keep more of the most serious offenders in prison for longer. The Independent
The government's early release scheme is expected to free around 5,000 prisoners. That number is down from 6,000 after the government said people convicted of the most serious crimes, including rape and child sex offences, would not be let out early. Burnham stepped in to review the scheme and decided that certain high-risk offenders would be excluded. BBC News; North Yorkshire Police Federation
The move followed days of pressure from police federations, which are staff bodies that represent officers, across England and Wales. A petition by the Thames Valley Police Federation calling on the government to stop the early release of PC Harper's killers passed 500,000 signatures within 48 hours of being launched. The petition, written on behalf of Thames Valley Police officers, challenges the Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary to stand before PC Harper's killers. Aileen O'Connor, chair of the Thames Valley Police Federation, commented on the petition reaching the milestone. Thames Valley Police Federation; Change.org UK
The West Midlands Police Federation condemned the government for failing to prevent PC Harper's killers being considered for early release. The Nottinghamshire and North Yorkshire federations warned against the scheme for killers of police officers. The Derbyshire branch chair said freeing officer killers early would 'let down fallen colleagues'. West Midlands Police Federation; Nottinghamshire Police Federation; North Yorkshire Police Federation; Derbyshire Police Federation
Burnham was accused of ignoring a letter from the head of Thames Valley Police pleading with him to stop the early release of PC Harper's killers, as reported by The Telegraph on 5 August. The Telegraph
The broader context here is the tension between two competing pressures. Prisons in England and Wales are very full, and early release is one way the government manages that. But releasing people early who killed a police officer risks damaging public trust in sentencing. The government has already backed down once, cutting the number of expected releases from 6,000 to 5,000 after exempting the most serious offenders. The question now is whether excluding Cole and Bowers will follow that same pattern of retreat, or whether the law leaves ministers with less room to act than their words suggest. The fact that all four UK police chiefs signed the letter matters: policing is run separately by the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and Northern Ireland's Stormont, but the law on sentencing is set by Westminster and applies across the UK, giving the letter a national weight that a single police force would not carry.
Burnham's 'increasing confidence' is not a guarantee. His promise to use 'every lawful option' is deliberately broad. The key question is whether the exclusion being developed by Norris will apply only to the Harper case, or whether it will create a wider category covering other cases where a serving officer was killed. The latter would change sentencing policy well beyond this single case.
