A serial shoplifter committed a series of crimes starting the day after he was released early from HMP Wandsworth, a senior Metropolitan Police officer has revealed.
Michael Bogle, 38, from Brent, who was assessed as a high-risk offender, was captured on CCTV stealing from two supermarkets in north west London within 24 hours of being freed last Thursday, according to Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, borough commander for Barnet, Brent and Harrow.
Bogle was released on the first day of the Government's new early release scheme, which saw thousands of inmates freed to ease pressure on prison places. He had served 78 days in prison after breaching a 32-week suspended sentence for shoplifting.
Further Offences and Arrest
The former bus driver allegedly entered a Sainsbury's Local in Willesden three times between 6pm and 8.45pm, despite being barred from the store under a criminal behaviour order. After being arrested, he was later said to have pleaded guilty to four shoplifting offences of stealing laundry detergent worth a total of £142.35 between Thursday October 1st and Monday the 5th from Tesco in Wembley.
He was also believed to have been charged with a commercial burglary and breaching court orders before being returned to prison. He reportedly had 16 previous convictions and was linked to more than 100 investigations.
DCS Williams said a team of officers spent an entire day locating the man and bringing him back into custody, where he required constant observation. Local police gathered CCTV evidence and witness statements to build a case. The man subsequently pleaded guilty and is now back in jail. He was also recalled to prison by the Probation Service.
Police Concerns and Costs
DCS Williams warned of other similar cases in the capital, stressing that communities were being put at risk by the early release of inmates. In a letter, he said: "The Met has repeatedly raised concerns that placing more criminals within the community comes with significant risks to victims and places more costs onto policing."
He added: "This individual had been assessed as a high-risk offender by the Probation Service and had 16 previous convictions linked to more than 100 investigations, including multiple thefts, criminal damage and an incident of indecent exposure."
DCS Williams also said: "While I am sure it is not surprising that someone with this history went on to reoffend, the speed with which he did so, and the impact on frontline policing, is astonishing."
He noted that 27 officer hours were needed to deal with the case, leading to a cost of £1,887. He added: "Furthermore, this is not just a localised issue with similar cases occurring across London, where people are released, only for their cycle of offending to immediately start again."
Bogle, asked at the time of his release for his message to Andy Burnham, said: "Keep the early release going. It's good." He added that conditions inside the prison are "awful", with inmates locked up for around 23 hours a day.
Political Reaction
Dame Theresa Villiers, the former Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet, said: "This is a disturbing case showing how deeply flawed Labour's early release scheme is. There seems to be a grim inevitability about prolific offenders let out early going on to start up their criminal activities once again. The speed with which this occurred in this instance is truly shocking."
The number of people expected to be released under the scheme was cut from around 6,000 after Prime Minister Andy Burnham intervened to review its terms, removing eligibility for crimes including all forms of manslaughter, grooming offences and causing or allowing the death of a child. The change stopped the killers of Pc Andrew Harper being freed early.
On the morning of its launch last Thursday, Treasury minister James Murray, MP for Ealing North, said: "I know the level of concern and maybe anger will be intense, and it's worth me making clear that this is not a situation where there is any good solution - there's just a series of very difficult choices we've got to take."
A Government spokesperson said: "We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse. If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests, putting communities at untold risk."
