A Labour minister has refused to rule out a fresh crime wave sparked by the early release of prisoners, as part of the Government’s sentencing review plans.
Sarah Jones MP, the Minister for Policing, was asked whether plans to release even more inmates early would risk unleashing more crime on Britain’s streets.
Jones told the Daily Express that sentencing was “very much tied to our policing system”, adding that the Government wanted to “make sure we’re doing policing out in our communities, tackling crime in our neighbourhoods.”
The Government is understood to be prioritising antisocial behaviour, theft and shoplifting as part of its crime crackdown.
But critics have accused Labour of gambling with public safety.
Matt Vickers, the Tory Shadow Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, said: “The Victims’ Commissioner has already warned this poses an ‘unacceptable risk of harm to the public’. Yet Labour presses on with a plan that puts dangerous criminals back on the streets and unleashes a wave of crime onto our communities.
“Already, Labour have dumped over 26,000 offenders onto our streets since taking office, including rapists and robbers who should be behind bars. At the same time, they are tying the hands of our police, forcing them to chase criminals who should never have been released in the first place.
“Starmer’s early release scheme is a criminal’s charter and a kick in the teeth to victims and the police.”
The row comes after months of controversy over the Government’s decision to accelerate early releases of criminals from jail.
Under the scheme, prisoners are freed only part-way through their sentences, in order to ease pressure on the system.
The early release program made headlines this week after it emerged that hundreds of prisoners had been released by mistake.
Ministers argue the move is essential, due to insufficient prison spaces, and have announced plans to construct more prisons as well as cut down on the sentencing backlog.