💥 Historic Police Revolt Rocks Whitehall As 50 Chiefs Challenge Andy Burnham — They Demand His Government Stop PC Andrew Harper’s Killers From Early Release
Fifty Police Chiefs Erupt in Fury Over Andy Burnham’s U-Turn Chaos: ‘We Demand Every Lawful Option Used to Keep PC Andrew Harper’s Killers Locked Up’ as Historic Letter Demands Full Sentences for the Officers’ Murderers
In a move that has stunned Whitehall and sent shockwaves through the police service, 50 senior police chiefs from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have delivered a blistering open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding he use every lawful option to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper’s two teenage killers.
The historic letter, signed by the heads of all police forces in the UK, is being seen as the most direct and unprecedented political intervention in the entire early-release scandal that has left the victims’ family devastated and the nation in turmoil.
The two men — Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 17 at the time of the 2019 crime — were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years each in 2020. Under the government’s new early-release scheme, they are now due for freedom next year, having served only half their sentence. This is the exact reason the entire country is in uproar.
The letter, organised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and released on Tuesday evening, is brutally clear: “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.”
It comes just hours after Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters he is “increasingly confident” a solution can be found to block their release — a U-turn that has left many officers feeling betrayed all over again.
Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg, one of the signatories, said he was “beyond disappointed” when the killers’ early release was not blocked outright. “Any government would have no option but to release prisoners” because the system is full, he said, but “it is my strongly held view that the people responsible for killing an emergency server in the course of their duty should remain behind bars.”
The letter makes three clear demands:
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Pursue every lawful option to stop Bowers and Cole from being freed early.
Put far greater weight on the crime when making release decisions.
Ensure victims and bereaved families are properly considered in any changes to sentencing or release rules.
“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,” the letter states.
It also questions the very principle of justice: “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… 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?”
The timing could not be more painful. PC Andrew Harper, 28, was a newly married officer who was dragged to his death behind a car while trying to stop a quad bike theft in Berkshire in 2019. Two of the three teenage killers — Bowers and Cole — were passengers in the getaway vehicle. The third man, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and will not be released early.
The public has spoken with 880,000 signatures on a petition demanding the killers stay behind bars. Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman has slammed the government’s “flip-flopping” as “disgusting” and “indefensible”.
Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O’Connor, who started the petition, said the actions so far have been “totally demoralising for all police officers”. She is even considering legal action to overturn the scheme.
Downing Street has insisted Burnham is “doing everything he can” to find a way to keep the killers in jail, including changes to the prison system and the new Sentencing Act coming into force in September. But the police chiefs have now taken the unprecedented step of publishing their own letter, bypassing the usual channels and speaking directly to the Prime Minister.
The 50 signatories include the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Greater Manchester Chief Constable Stephen Watson, and the PSNI’s Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. The letter is being seen as a massive vote of no confidence in the government’s handling of the case.
For Debbie Adlam, the mother of PC Andrew Harper, the pressure on her son’s killers is personal and fierce. “I’m only asking for them to do what they were given,” she has repeatedly said. “I will fight until the end.”
The government is under huge pressure to act before the new law comes in. Burnham has ordered his Justice Secretary Alex Norris to find solutions — from speeding up deportations to using female prisons for male offenders. But the police chiefs say more than tweaks are needed.
“Pc Andrew Harper’s case also raises a wider question,” the letter warns. “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 is the most serious crackdown on the early-release scheme since it was introduced to ease prison overcrowding. Around 5,000 people were due to be freed early, but rapists and serious child sex offenders have already been exempted.
Bowers and Cole are not rapists — they are teenage killers of a police officer. The police chiefs are saying the justice system must draw a clear line.
The letter has been described as “historic” and “unusual” because police chiefs are normally independent. By publishing it, they have put the government on the absolute back foot.
Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O’Connor said the public is “speaking loudly and clearly” and the government must “listen”. She added: “If you kill a police officer there should be no early release. No ifs. No buts.”
The case has divided the nation. Some argue the killers were just kids and deserve a second chance after serving half their sentence. But for the Harper family, the overwhelming majority of officers, and now 50 police chiefs, the message is simple: PC Andrew Harper’s killers must stay in jail.
The letter is not just about two men. It is about the principle of justice for officers who put their lives on the line every single day. It is about whether the public can trust sentences when governments keep changing the rules.
Andy Burnham says he is “pushing the system every single day”. But the police chiefs have now said enough is enough. They have drawn a line in the sand.
And the message to the Prime Minister is clear: use every lawful option. Keep Bowers and Cole behind bars. Honour the promise made to PC Andrew Harper.
The government’s U-turn has left the country divided. But the police chiefs have now delivered the strongest possible reply — 50 of them, speaking as one.
This story is far from over. The letter is only the latest chapter in a fight that has been raging since the killers were sentenced. The government is reviewing options. The public is watching. And PC Andrew Harper’s family is fighting for one thing above all else: justice for their son.
The police chiefs have made their position unmistakable. The killers of PC Andrew Harper must not be released early. The law must be changed. And the government must act — quickly and decisively.
Because when officers are killed in the line of duty, the public expects the killers to face the full consequences. Anything less is not justice. It is a betrayal.
And the police chiefs have now said no more.