Top police chief warns of a Labour soft justice crimewave – as TWO inmates are released by mistake just days after migrant sex offender wrongly set free

Police chiefs warn Labour’s soft justice reforms will lead to a crime wave on the streets.

The unprecedented intervention comes as another day of chaos in the creaking criminal justice system has rocked the Government, with the mistaken release of two more prisoners.

A manhunt was launched last night after it took prison bosses almost a week to realize Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been mistakenly released from scandal-hit HMP Wandsworth.

Hours after news of his release emerged, it was revealed that another prisoner at the London prison, William Smith, had been free since Monday after the wrong sentence was entered in the court file, and the conman was released rather than serve a 45-month prison sentence.

Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), says matters will soon get worse with thousands more criminals hitting the streets and taxpayers facing an extra bill of £400 million in police costs next year.

Forces are bracing for a surge in crime across the country next year as the government presses ahead with plans to jail fewer criminals by ditching shorter sentences and releasing prisoners earlier.

In a stark prediction of the dangers posed by the proposed Sentencing Bill, police leaders predict that crime will rise by up to 6 per cent in just one year, putting the public and victims at increased risk.

Mr Stephens explained that although forces were prepared for a rise in reoffending, the Government had not yet made any assessment of the results of the reform. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp hit out at Keir Starmer as MPs and victim campaigners demanded reassurances over public safety, saying: ‘This is going to be a crime wave happening in Downing Street. ‘The justice system is collapsing under Labor rule.’

The NPCC calculated that the Sentencing Bill would cause crime to increase by between 4 and 6 per cent; This represents around 360,000 additional crimes per year on top of the 6.6 million crimes recorded in the 12 months to June 2025.

Manhunt launched for Algerian prisoner mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison

‘We think this is a pressure on policing worth £400 million,’ Mr Stephens said. ‘There is no doubt that there will be an increase (in crime) in the short term.’ Mr Philp said: ‘This shocking statement by the police makes clear that Labour’s weak and reckless plans to release more prisoners early and abolish sentences of less than one year will lead to more criminals and more crime on our streets.

‘Labour’s choices will keep us less safe and mean more robberies, thefts and assaults.’

Mr Stephens warned that jailing fewer offenders would force officers to turn to reoffending rather than dealing with other crimes, adding: ‘You may have a neighborhood police officer who is making good progress on a local problem-solving plan and they may need to drop that to deal with a recall or process someone who has just been arrested.’

When asked about the long-term impact on crime rates, the senior officer said no one in government had addressed the issue and extra funding had not been allocated to forces to deal with the influx of criminals serving their sentences in the community rather than behind bars.

Mr Stephens agreed that reforms were needed, saying: ‘It is no secret that the criminal justice system is not working as it should.

‘The pressure on the police, courts, prisons and probation cannot continue; That’s why we support the Government’s ambition to overhaul sentencing and ease the prison overcrowding crisis.’

But he predicted: ‘There will be an impact on confidence in criminal justice.’

Assistant Chief Constable Jason Devonport added: ‘The logic we are working on is that offenders who are currently in prison will not be in prison in the future, so there is the potential for further offending depending on the recidivism rate.’

British citizen William Smith (pictured), who goes by the name Billy, was mistakenly released from the prison where the scandal took place on Monday.

Algerian migrant Brahim Kaddour-Cherif (pictured) was released after being accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October

London Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman said: ‘Reform should come at no cost to victims and public safety. Adapting to this new framework will challenge our justice system, especially our police forces.

‘We then run the risk of asking the police to do more with less.’ The reforms will enable thousands of criminals facing prison sentences to be managed in society through remote measures such as electronic tags.

This means officers will have to enforce breaches of court and community orders rather than solving crimes. Police say they will need more officers and staff, such as domestic violence and sexual offense counselors, who can help victims by calling 999 about a violent attack to find out whether the perpetrator will be arrested.

Nearly 40,000 prisoners in England and Wales have been released early since September 2024 under the Government’s controversial early release plan.