Operation Early Dawn: Emergency measure to avoid prison overcrowding 'could be launched in the next few days' as rioters convicted | UK news

According to the Prison Guards Association, an emergency plan to avoid prison overcrowding could come into effect in the coming days as more rioters are convicted.

Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants awaiting court dates to be held in police cells until prison space becomes available.

However, this may result in court dates being postponed or adjourned at short notice.

Prosecutors are trying to speed up proceedings against persons suspected of involvement in the recent unrest in parts of the United KingdomAs of last Monday, 927 people had been arrested and 466 of them charged.

Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Guards' Association, believes an announcement about Early Dawn could be made as early as Monday.

He warned that this could lead to an “overload of police cells” as officers would then have less space to make new arrests.

“This is all the result of the rioters,” he told BBC Radio 4.

“Last week we had the largest influx of new admissions I’ve seen in a long time.”

He added: “We have had 397 new admissions. As of Friday, we have only had 340 places left in the adult men's closed accommodation, which is under the most pressure.

“I would not be surprised if the Justice Department announced sometime tomorrow morning (Monday) that Operation Early Dawn will go into effect sometime next week, probably starting Tuesday.”

Mr Fairhurst said the north-east and north-west were under particular pressure, with offenders there being “taken 100 to 200 miles from home” to serve their sentences.

Read more:
Prisons feel pressure from wave of riot charges in Britain
Hundreds of new prison spaces released to deal with rioters

The Justice Department said last month that violence and self-harm in Prisons had reached an “unacceptable” level and overcrowding had brought some of them to the “brink of collapse”.

A damning inspection of HMP Wandsworth in south-west London revealed “chaos” and “horrific conditions”which was due to “poor leadership at all levels”.

To make room, Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood also plans to temporarily reduce the portion of a sentence that must be served before parole is possible. from 50% to 40%.

It is expected that 5,500 people will be released in September and October.

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It does not apply to people convicted of terrorism, sexual offences, domestic violence and some violent crimes. The government confirmed that people involved in the riots are also ineligible.

Operation Early Dawn was last used in May by the previous government, also to counter overcrowding.

The Bar Association warned at the time that there could be delays in the hearing of cases and that lawyers would not know whether the cases would definitely be heard until their clients arrived in court.