close
close

Labour launches emergency plan for prisons as riot crackdown puts justice system on brink

Labour has activated emergency plans to address prison overcrowding as the number of summary prosecutions and convictions of rioters continues to mount.

The plan, called “Operation Early Dawn,” will see defendants in the north of England awaiting trial placed in police cells. From there, they will not be summoned to the magistrates' courts until prison places become available.

The crackdown, less than two months after Sir Keir Starmer came to power, is being carried out across Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, the North East and Yorkshire.

In May of this year, the Conservatives introduced the early release system for a week – and at the time a Labour Party spokesman said that the party would abolish the early release system altogether.

Prison/Lord Timpson

Lord Timpson described the step as “difficult but necessary”

Palestinian Authority/UK Government

According to prosecutors' figures, the total number of people charged in connection with the riots is almost 500 – but the Ministry of Justice blames this on a “crisis” inherited from the Tories.

Lord Timpson, the Prime Minister's hand-picked Minister for Prisons and Probation, described the move as “difficult but necessary”, while police leaders assured the public that “the police will continue to arrest anyone who needs to be arrested”.

He said: “We have inherited a justice system that is in crisis and is undergoing shocks.

“As a result, we were forced to make difficult but necessary decisions to maintain operations.

MORE ON THE LABOUR PARTY’S POLICE AND JUSTICE CHAOS:

Rioters

Nearly 500 charges have been filed following the riots

P.A.

“However, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff and partners, we have been able to create additional places in prisons and are now launching Operation Early Dawn to address the pressures being felt in some parts of the country.”

He added that under the plans, convicted criminals who posed a danger to the public “would not be released on bail”. These include sex offenders, some violent offenders and people convicted of terrorism or domestic violence.

However, GB News understands that 5,500 offenders are expected to be released as a result of the operation in September and October.

Among those released early may be perpetrators convicted of crimes related to the unrest, the government confirmed.

Burning car in Middlesborough

Some people convicted of sedition could be released early under the plan

P.A.

Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp, who is responsible for prisons for the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said: “We are working closely with partners in the criminal justice system to manage the demand in the system and keep the public safe.”

“The police will continue to arrest anyone they need to arrest to ensure public safety, including policing protests and events. They will make sure people are arrested as expected.”

In May, under the Tories, David McNeill, the Law Society's head of public relations, told the BBC he had heard “quite disturbing reports” of an “administrative bloodbath” due to the impact and delays in legal proceedings.

McNeill said: “Victims, witnesses, lawyers and defendants appear before the district courts today to find that the case has been cancelled and postponed until a later date.”

You may also like...