Napo, the probation officers' union, voted 91% in favour of striking over unsustainable workloads, dealing a blow to Andy Burnham's plan to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers. Burnham has instructed justice secretary Alex Norris to find alternative prison spaces — by speeding deportations of foreign offenders, releasing lower-risk prisoners on indeterminate sentences, and using women's prisons for male offenders — so serious offenders aren't freed under the early release scheme.
The Prison Governors' Association warned the rushed recalculations increase the risk of wrongly releasing dangerous prisoners, while the Prison Officers' Association said converting women's prisons for male use would require significant retraining, staffing, and infrastructure investment that can't be achieved by 'changing the sign above the door.' Downing Street had previously said there was no feasible way to exempt just Cole and Bowers from the scheme.
Napo warned last week that ministers lack a clear understanding of how ill-equipped probation services are to handle the additional workload, including notifying victims of releases. The Ministry of Justice said it was disappointed by the strike vote and would continue engaging with the union.
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