BRITAIN is set to see an increase in crime now that dangerous prisoners have been released early, a top cop has warned.
Around 1,700 inmates were let out on Tuesday – with a similar number also set to be freed in October – in a controversial bid by the Labour Government to ease overcrowding in prisons.
A lag spraying champagne as he walked free from HMP Wandsworth yesterday
EPAScenes at Pentonville prison as people waited for inmates to be released[/caption]
Under the scheme, some offenders are being released after serving just 40% of their custodial term.
Downing Street acknowledged it was “incredibly difficult” for victims to know that the offenders were being released before completing their sentence.
But former Scotland Yard Superintendent, Nusrit Mehtab, told The Sun there would be an increase in crime following the decision to release the offenders
She said: “People who have only done 40% of their sentence have been released – very happily, if you see some images.
“For some – not all – they’ve got nowhere to live, money’s going to run out, so I think there will be a spike [in crime] because there’s no deterrent.
“They’re thinking, ‘I’ve been released early – if I commit another crime, there won’t be any places [in prison]’.”
The top cop said that statistics already tell us that there is going to be a high reoffending rate, adding: “If you’ve been released early and commit another crime, what’s the sanction?”
The decision will impact struggling police, housing providers, the probation service – and victims who have been “let down”, Ms Mehtab said.
She added: “If you’ve been a victim and you’ve seen the person who committed the crime popping corks of champagne, it isn’t a very good image is it.
“I just think, ‘what message are we giving to victims and people that had these crimes committed against them?’”
On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said he had been forced into the position because the Tory government had not built enough prison capacity.
Ms Mehtab also slammed the Conservatives, saying they had 14 years of ruling but did “nothing”, despite an increasing prison population.
Graham Wettone, former Met Police cop, also told The Sun he believed that crime would increase following the decision.
He said: “I think it’s inevitable there’d be – and I really hope I’m wrong – but I think with the the amount of people being released early, I think it’s inevitable.
“We’ll see some some form of increase, slight increase in some aspects of crime depending what the crime is.”
But, he added, he was not sure there would be an increase in the “serious” crimes of sexual offences, and serious physicals injuries.
Mr Wettone continued: “I think your burglaries, your theft of, and theft from vehicles, the assaults… I think you will see an increase in some of those types of offences because of the number of individuals that have been released early.”
The lags who were let out early
A MACHETE thug and a yob who paralysed a baby boy are among the next round of prisoners to be freed early in a controversial scheme, it is understood.
More than 1,600 inmates were released yesterday in a government bid to free up space in Britain’s overcrowded jails.
Scenes outside prisons across the country showed freed inmates celebrating and one being picked up by a Lamborghini.
With thousands more to be freed over the next 18-months – including some convicted of manslaughter – others warned it would be a matter of time before they were reoffending and back behind bars.
Among those due to be released is Lawson Natty, who supplied a machete used to kill 14-year-old Gordon Gault in Newcastle in 2022.
Natty, 18, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for two years and eight months this March.
But he is now due to be released early as part of the the Ministry of Justice scheme.
Gordon’s mum Dionne Barrett said she was “sickened” by the prospect of Natty walking free before serving his full sentence.
She told Good Morning Britain: “I feel totally sick to my stomach that he’s allowed out now after only serving months.
“It’s absolutely sickening. He’ll be getting out within the next couple of days. He’s going to be back out on the streets.
“Fair enough, let petty criminals out. Not somebody who’s killed a 14-year-old child.
“Someone who purchases machetes. What if he does it again to somebody else?”
Natty had served time on remand which counts against his prison sentence.
It is understood he has been transferred to an immigration detention centre.
The former police officer also said a “significant number” of those who have been freed will be reoffending, and “will be back before a court in a short period of time”.
“I’ve spoken to too many offenders who almost view prison as an occupational hazard, and not something to be that wary of once they’ve been in inside,” Mr Wettone said.
He added: “For me, there needs to be some element of of punishment, of a deterrent to stop people committing crime in the first place.
“It seems that, for whatever reason, imprisonment doesn’t seem to have hold the same deterrent effect it it would for me.”
Domestic abuse charities have warned that the scheme may come at the expense of women and children’s safety, while others raised concerns that it would push probation services to breaking point.
Jessica Eagelton, head of policy and public affairs at Refuge, said earlier this week: “We are concerned the SDS40 early release scheme may come at the expense of domestic abuse survivors’ safety.
“We welcome the Government’s plans to ensure some perpetrators of domestic abuse are not released early from prison, however, the list of exemptions is not comprehensive enough.
“As it stands, the early release exemption list will not include all domestic abuse offenders, for example, those charged with common assault.
“It will also not include those offenders with a history of domestic abuse who are serving a prison sentence for an unrelated offence, meaning some domestic abuse perpetrators will be released from prison early under SDS40.
“Even though offenders released will be monitored by the Probation Service, previous concerns have been raised about the probation service’s ability to adequately monitor domestic abuse perpetrators.”
Ms Mehtab said that a desperate measure like this has “been on the cards” for some time amid a rising prison population.
But she said that there is “no housing” for these criminals so a number of them will be homeless.
“It’s just poorly planned and letting victims down, but what are the options?” she said.
“A lot of these people don’t have rehabilitation plans.
“If you think about some of the people who have been released, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
“Some have done 40% of their sentence sentence for burglary, theft – but those are big, impactful crimes.”
She said that the solution involved building more prisons, and getting more resources to probation for rehabilitation.
The SunEx-Met cop Graham Wettone said Britain would see an increase in crime[/caption]
Paul EdwardsAround 1,700 prisoners were freed yesterday[/caption]