Fifty police chiefs call on PM to prevent PC Harper killers release

Dear Prime Minister, 

We welcome your intervention regarding the potential earlier release of those responsible for the death of PC Andrew Harper, and your instruction to the Justice Secretary to examine what can lawfully be done. When the state asks people to run towards danger on behalf of the public, they should be able to trust that the justice system will stand behind them when the worst happens.  

PC Andrew Harper's case also raises a wider question.  

When someone is sentenced for an exceptionally serious offence, how much confidence can victims, bereaved families and the public place in that sentence if subsequent changes to release arrangements result in an offender being released significantly earlier than originally anticipated? 

This question extends far beyond policing.  

Families across the country are now facing the distress of learning that offenders may be released earlier than they understood when sentence was passed. We do not suggest that the grief of a police family is greater than that of any other bereaved family, nor that the life of an emergency worker has greater value.

Our concern is for all victims and families affected by serious offending sentencing changes. 

PC Andrew Harper lost his life while protecting the public and serving his community. Following his death, Lissie Harper campaigned for a change in the law, leading Parliament to establish Harper's Law, recognising the exceptional risks emergency workers take while protecting others. 

While Harper's Law cannot retrospectively alter the sentences imposed following PC Andrew Harper’s death, the principle behind it remains important. Those who serve and protect the public should know that the justice system recognises the risks they take on society's behalf. Victims and bereaved families should be confident that sentences imposed for the most serious offences retain meaning and that public protection remains a central consideration when release decisions are made. 

There is a profound strength of feeling across policing about those responsible for PC Andrew Harper’s death benefiting from arrangements that could see them released substantially earlier than expected.

Officers and staff understand that the law must be applied as it stands. But they will question what message this sends about the value placed on their service and sacrifice when they put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. 

Police officers and staff see first-hand the impact serious crime has on victims and their families. They support people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives and ask them to place their trust in the justice system. That trust is vital and should not be weakened. We are also collectively concerned that an approach to early release which does not sufficiently distinguish the most serious offending risks undermining public safety, victim confidence and wider confidence in the criminal justice system.  

We therefore ask Government to consider three measures. 

First, we ask that every lawful option is examined to determine whether the earlier release of those responsible for PC Andrew Harper's death can be prevented. 

We recognise that Government must act within the law. Nevertheless, given the significance of this case, it is right that every available lawful avenue is explored. 

Second, we ask Government to establish an additional public protection safeguard in cases involving the most serious offenders whenever future changes to sentencing on release arrangements are considered. 

Where an offender has caused a death, committed exceptionally serious violence, or presents an ongoing risk to individuals or communities, there should be explicit consideration of public protection, victim impact and community safety before release arrangements are amended. 

This principle should also apply to serious offences where there is a continuing risk of harm to victims or the public, including serious violence against women and girls, stalking and harassment. 

This is not simply a question of punishment. It is a question of ensuring that public protection, victim confidence and community safety remain central to decisions that may substantially reduce the time an offender spends in custody. 

Third, victims and bereaved families must be properly considered whenever significant changes are made to sentencing or release arrangements. 

There should also be consideration of the impact that significant changes to release policy may have on victims, public protection, policing and confidence in the justice system. 

Prime Minister, we welcome your intervention and the direction you have given to the Justice Secretary. This provides an opportunity not only to examine every lawful avenue in PC Andrew Harper’s case, but to ensure similar concerns do not arise again. 

We make this request in memory of PC Andrew Harper, in support of his family, friends, colleagues and the communities he served and on behalf of all victims of serious offending. 

The public should be able to trust that when a court passes sentence for the most serious crimes, victims, public protection and confidence in the justice system remain at the heart of any subsequent decisions about release. 

We stand ready to continue working with Government on safeguards needed to protect victims, the public and confidence in the justice system.  

We look forward to further conversations.  

Yours sincerely, 

With the collective agreement and support of Chief Constables and Commissioners across the United Kingdom 

Signatories 

Chief Constable Sarah Crew - Avon and Somerset Police 

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst - Bedfordshire Police 

Chief Constable Simon Megicks - Cambridgeshire Constabulary 

Chief Constable Mark Roberts - Cheshire Constabulary 

Commissioner Pete O’Doherty - City of London Police 

Chief Constable Victoria Fuller - Cleveland Police 

Chief Constable Darren Martland - Cumbria Constabulary 

Acting Chief Constable Simon Blatchly - Derbyshire Constabulary 

Chief Constable James Vaughan - Devon & Cornwall Police 

Chief Constable Rachel Farrell - Dorset Police 

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon - Durham Constabulary 

Chief Constable Ifan Charles - Dyfed-Powys Police 

Chief Constable Rachel Nolan - Essex Police 

Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth - Gloucestershire Constabulary 

Chief Constable Stephen Watson - Greater Manchester Police 

Chief Constable Mark Hobrough - Gwent Police 

Chief Constable Alexis Boon - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary 

Chief Constable Andy Prophet - Hertfordshire Constabulary 

Chief Constable Chris Todd - Humberside Police 

Chief Constable Tim Smith - Kent Police 

Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett - Lancashire Constabulary 

Chief Constable David Sandall - Leicestershire Police 

Chief Constable Paul Gibson - Lincolnshire Police 

Chief Constable Rob Carden - Merseyside Police 

Commissioner Mark Rowley - Metropolitan Police Service 

Chief Constable Paul Sanford - Norfolk Constabulary 

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman - North Wales Police 

Chief Constable Tim Forber - North Yorkshire Police 

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet - Northamptonshire Police 

Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine - Northumbria Police 

Temporary Chief Constable Steven Cooper - Nottinghamshire Police 

Chief Constable Jo Farrell - Police Scotland 

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan - South Wales Police 

Chief Constable Lauren Poultney - South Yorkshire Police 

Acting Chief Constable Rebecca Riggs - Staffordshire Police 

Chief Constable Rachel Kearton - Suffolk Constabulary 

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer - Surrey Police 

Chief Constable Jo Shiner - Sussex Police 

Chief Constable Jason Hogg - Thames Valley Police 

Acting Chief Constable David Gardner - Warwickshire Police 

Chief Constable Richard Cooper - West Mercia Police 

Acting Chief Constable Scott Green - West Midlands Police 

Chief Constable John Robins - West Yorkshire Police 

Chief Constable Catherine Roper - Wiltshire Police 

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher - Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) 

Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi - British Transport Police 

Chief Constable Simon Chesterman - Civil Nuclear Constabulary 

Acting Chief Constable Keir Pritchard - Ministry of Defence Police 

Director General Graeme Biggar - National Crime Agency 

Chief Officer Robin Smith - State of Jersey Police