Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley has accused Labour and Andy Burnham of concealing the truth about the early prison release scheme, which has freed hundreds of prisoners before they have served half of their sentences to ease overcrowding.
The scheme, launched at the beginning of October, reportedly means up to 50,000 prisoners will be freed early each year. However, the government will not reveal the exact number of prisoners released under the new measures.
Government 'manipulating' figures
Speaking on TalkTV with presenter Ian Collins, Bleksley argued that the government is "manipulating" the figures because it does not want the public to know the truth about which people are committing certain crimes. Collins had highlighted that some released prisoners are already being sent back behind bars because they "can't help themselves".
Bleksley said: "So much about what this Labour government does is suppressing the truth, especially when it comes to the criminal justice system."
Appeal over ethnicity data
He also noted that the government is currently appealing a decision from the Information Commissioner's Office, which said they should release details of the ethnic background of people who commit crimes.
He continued: "They are appealing that because this socialist government is desperate to keep the truth from us. They do not want us to know what crimes people have committed and what country they have come from. It's absolutely scandalous."
Bleksley declared: "The public should absolutely know the truth about what people from what countries are committing what crimes and also, what is the accurate picture about these early prison releases."
600 more criminals set for release
He pointed out that 600 more criminals are set to be released this week, which he believes will only make matters worse. The former Scotland Yard detective explained that the criminal justice system is in crisis, with police forces understaffed and the Crown Prosecution Service underfunded and failing to operate effectively.
He also criticised what he called "woke, liberal, fluffy leaders" within the police, claiming that the Crown Prosecution Service is suffering from the "woke virus". Bleksley added that around 20 per cent of Crown Courts will not be sitting today, and suggested the system could be improved through the use of AI.
He went on to say that the probation service has never recovered from Tory privatisation, branding it "underfunded, understaffed and underperforming".
