Wiltshire Police supporting 'Operation Early Dawn' to ease pressure on prison places

Wiltshire Police is supporting a national operation to help ease the pressure on prison places.

Measures have been put in place following the announcement by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) that it has reactivated an existing contingency mechanism, Operation Early Dawn in response to a lack of national available prison places.  

This follows on from the plans already in place with regards to the SDS 40 release scheme.

Under the scheme, the automatic release point for Standard Determinate Sentences is modified to change the proportion of the sentence spent in custody for less serious cases from 50% to 40%. 

The number of arrests, remands and convictions resulting in a prison sentence following the national violent disorder over the past three weeks has placed additional pressure on available prison places.

Under these arrangements, Wiltshire Police is supporting by allocating some of the cells at Gablecross Police Station in Swindon to temporarily house prisoners before they are taken to a reception prison.

Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith said: “Along with a number of other forces nationally, Wiltshire Police is playing a key role in supporting our prison and probation service by providing temporary capacity for prisoners where required.

“I would like to reassure our communities that keeping victims, witnesses and communities in Wiltshire safe remains the Force’s core priority and this temporary measure will not impact on our capacity to do so.

“We are working closely with the criminal justice system, Local Authority and Health partners to manage demand in the system and ensure that the public are safe.

“Policing will continue to arrest anyone that they need to in order to keep the public safe, including policing protests and events and ensuring that people are arrested as expected.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson recently said that the SDS 40 release scheme is the ‘least worst option’ given the current pressures in prisons. 

In response to the national enactment of Operation Early Dawn earlier this week he said: “Despite the national issues with prison capacity, it is the core responsibility of Wiltshire Police to keep our communities, and those most vulnerable, safe and this will continue to be the Force’s primary focus in our county.

“Residents should be reassured that the Chief Constable has directed her officers to continue to arrest suspects as usual so that those who commit crimes and present risk to our communities are taken off the streets and arrangements are in place with prisons and probation services to minimise any impact locally.

“Whilst the national challenges are not felt as keenly here in Wiltshire as they are elsewhere at present, I continue in my role of supporting all agencies in the local criminal justice, and local authority, areas to work together to appropriately plan and resource in order to reduce any risk to the public."