Police cells on standby amid prison overcrowding

Police custody cells in Warwickshire have been put on standby to help with prison overcrowding, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

Philip Seccombe told the county council's police and crime panel that capacity at UK jails remained a major concern, despite the government's early release scheme.

Some inmates were allowed to leave prisons after completing 40% of their sentences rather than the standard 50% under the scheme announced by Labour shortly after July's election.

But Mr Seccombe said the prison system was still "near to the maximum capacity".

"Our two custody blocks in Warwickshire are available if needed to house those prisoners who cannot get a place elsewhere," he said.

He told Thursday’s panel he had heard concerns discussed "in some detail" during a summit of PCCs and chief constables held in London recently.

Two waves of early releases were carried out in September and October.

Sex offenders, those convicted of domestic abuse and prisoners with sentences of four years or more for violent crimes were not among those included in the scheme.

In September, Mr Seccombe estimated there would be about 35 to 40 prisoners released in Warwickshire across the two stages.

A recent report to the panel said the process in the county had been "well managed and communicated to all key criminal justice partners".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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