UK Police Chiefs Urge PM to Block Early Release of PC Harper's Killers

Every chief constable across the United Kingdom has signed an unprecedented joint letter urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to exhaust all legal avenues to prevent the early release of the men convicted over the death of PC Andrew Harper. The extraordinary intervention, published on Tuesday evening, comes amid government efforts to address prison overcrowding through a release scheme that would see Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers freed early next year.

PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 after being dragged for more than a mile behind a getaway car near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, as the thieves fled the scene of a quad bike theft. Cole and Bowers, who were teenagers at the time, were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 and sentenced to 13 years each. Under changes to the Sentencing Act this year, they become eligible for release after serving half of their sentence, with their freedom expected in early 2027. The driver of the car, Henry Long, received a longer, extended sentence of 16 years and is not affected by the scheme.

The letter, signed by leaders of all 48 regional police forces, the National Crime Agency, and Jersey Police, sets out three main requests for the Prime Minister....