PC Andrew Harper's mother, Debbie Adlam, has thanked the public for a "phenomenal response" in the fight against "the injustice this early release represents", as more than one million people backed a petition to keep two of his killers behind bars.
Public opposition to early release
Fewer than one in 10 people back proposals to release some of the country's most dangerous offenders after serving either a third or half of their sentence behind bars, according to polling by Ipsos. A growing number of Labour voters now oppose the scheme, heaping pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to intervene again.
Ms Adlam warned that failing to keep those who kill emergency workers behind bars "is a nationwide issue and could affect every one of us".
Mother's statement
"We thank each and every one of you for your incredible support and signatures - a phenomenal response from the public to show their support and [standing against] the injustice this early release represents for the country as a whole," she said.
"It is support for the emergency workers and especially for Andrew's close colleagues, who should be able to continue giving their all in their roles and continued pride in their work knowing they have not been thrown off a cliff by their own Government."
"The risk of failing is a nationwide issue and could affect every one of us," she added. "Andrew was and remains one in a million on the 7th anniversary of his death. We need to remember him privately and in our own way now."
Details of the case
PC Harper was killed in the line of duty in 2019 when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. He was dragged for a mile by the offenders, in a crime that shocked Britain.
Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole are set to be released next year halfway through their 13-year sentences, after being convicted of manslaughter in 2020. Before this year's Sentencing Act, they would have served two-thirds of their term.
Polling on public safety
Some 64% who voted for Labour in 2024 said they did not support the proposals, up from 41% when they were first announced. Many convicts will be out after spending just a third of their jail term, and those sentenced to four years or more will only be let out after serving 50% of their sentence.
The first tranche of releases has been delayed from September to October. Criminals handed sentences of less than 18 months will be the first to benefit from the reforms.
Dame Priti Patel, who was Home Secretary at the time, said: "These dangerous killers must not be set free. Labour has betrayed PC Andrew Harper's family and they are appallingly weak on law and order. For once they need to listen to the British people, stop making excuses and keep PC Harper's killers in jail."
Polling by Ipsos also shows the public fears a crime wave, with 63% concerned about increased levels of antisocial behaviour. Some 57% of people also believe Labour's early release scheme will lead to more violent crime. Despite Labour's fears over prison overcrowding, some 79% of people believe prison sentences are still too short, but 74% accept prison overcrowding is also a big problem.
Dr Helen Powell, Head of the Crime, Cohesion, and Security policy team at Ipsos in the UK, said: "The public remains concerned with the early release of prisoners as a solution to prison overcrowding, with opposition rising sharply across the political spectrum over the past two years, but most prominently amongst 2024 Labour and Lib Dem voters. This resistance is rooted in anxieties over public safety, as majorities expect early releases to drive up antisocial behaviour, violent crime, and reoffending rates. While a majority still attribute the broader crisis in prison capacity to the previous Conservative administration, scrutiny on the current Government's response is mounting. While Britons strongly support victim-focused sentencing, rehabilitation and tougher community measures, there is little appetite for shorter sentences or early release. How this scheme ends up being executed will be the first real test for Andy Burnham's government, and will require balancing acute operational pressures in prisons against a public that demands tough sentencing, better protection for victims, and clear reassurances on public safety."
