A petition to stop the early release of PC Harper’s killers has been launched.
It has already topped 615,00 signatures by Thursday, August 6.
In the UK Parliament, if an online petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it can be considered for a debate in the House of Commons.
Hundreds of comments have been posted, including one from a former serving Thames Valley Police officer.
“As an ex TVP officer, it disgusts me the lack of support towards officers,” it said. “Officers put their life on the line day in, day out and should be going back to their families at the end of the shift.
“It should be life for life no matter the circumstances but taking a life of an emergency service worker and getting released early is not definitely not okay. I am so angry and my heart goes out to all of his family.”
The change.org petition has been launched by Aileen O’Connor, Chair of the Thames Valley Police Federation.
“I am absolutely outraged that the Justice Secretary and the Prime Minister have decided that killing a police officer in the execution of their duty is somehow less serious than other offences deemed too dangerous for early release,” she says.
“Let me be clear, on behalf of Thames Valley Police officers, I challenge the Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary to stand before PC Andrew Harper’s widow, Lissie, his parents, his brother, his loved ones, or indeed any police officer in this country, and explain why those responsible for killing a police officer should still be eligible for early release. “
Yesterday (Tuesday) the government apologised to the family of PC Andrew Harper.
Ministers have announced that people serving sentences for serious sexual offences will be excluded from the scheme in England and Wales, which is designed to ease overcrowding.
The Justice Secretary, Alex Norris, said the decision relating to PC Harper’s killers had “created harm” – but warned the alternative would be a prison system unable to function.
Another of the hundreds of comments added to the petition, said: “As a retired police officer, this begs the question: “Who protects the Protectors?” No protection here with the early release of the offenders. They should stay in prison for the remainder of their sentence. Andrew didn’t go out not expecting not to go home at the end of his shift. Sending condolences to his family and colleagues in TVP.”
PC Andrew Harper, from Wallingford, died in 2019 when he was dragged by a car as three teenagers fled the scene of a West Berkshire quad bike theft.
Under updated plans to tackle prison overcrowding, two of his killers – Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers – would be eligible for release next year.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he “wanted to go even further”, but that would not be possible without the prison system collapsing.
“Explain it to the officers who attended the scene on 15 August 2019 and witnessed the horrific consequences of that crime,” says the petition.
“The friends and colleagues that had to hear about it on the radio. Tell them that the life of a police officer does not warrant the same protection under this legislation.
“This decision pours salt into wounds that have never healed. It is an insult to Andrew’s family, his friends, his colleagues and the entire policing family.
“Time and again they have been forced to relive their grief while watching a justice system that they trusted fail to recognise the unique sacrifice made by those who serve and protect the public.
“Police officers put themselves in harm’s way every day. They run towards danger when everyone else is running away. They do so knowing that they may never come home to their families.
“For the Government to exclude the killers of police officers from these protections sends a deeply troubling message about the value placed on those who make that sacrifice.
“Andrew Harper’s family deserved better. Every police officer in this country deserves better.
“I will not stand by while the voices of Andrew’s family, his colleagues and police officers across this country continue to be ignored.
“Somebody, somewhere, must finally listen.”
To view the petition, visit: https://www.change.org/p/petition-to-stop-the-early-release-from-jail-of-pc-andrew-harper-s-killers
