Sarah Pochin has slammed the “absolute betrayal of British citizens” as 700 prisoners are set to walk free under early release today.
Speaking to GB News outside HMP Brixton, the Reform UK MP said it was a question of “political will” the Government was allowing the releases to take place.
Ms Pochin declared she intended to use her “platform and the voice I have to highlight the concerns for the safety of victims”.
The Reform UK MP aimed at Labour’s plans, insisting a Reform UK Government would put other policies in place to prevent prisoners from being released before finishing their sentences.
“Reform on day one of being in government would empty the prisons of the 10,700 foreign national offenders we are currently housing inside prisons like this,” she said.
“They would be sent back to either their country of origin or a third country to finish serving their sentence.”
Ms Pochin also pledged Reform would begin building emergency “Nightingale prisons”.
“We can do that. Emergency prisons can be put up,” she insisted, adding: “There are prison ships that we could commandeer straight away.”
Sarah Pochin has slammed the ‘absolute betrayal of British citizens’ under Labour’s early release scheme
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GB NEWS
“The point is, we have to get these prison spaces freed up… This government could do it. The last government could do it,” the Reform MP stressed.
“We had 14 years of a Tory government, and they effectively did not increase prison places in any meaningful way.”
“It’s about the will of the government. This government could do it, as could the last government.
She described successive Government decisions as an “absolute betrayal to the security and safety of British citizens”.
Around 700 prisoners are set to be freed today under the scheme today
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PA“On day one in government, we put a stop to this type of activity, which is simply putting the safety of our citizens at risk,” Ms Pochin pledged.
“One of the main principles of government is to keep its citizens safe. We are going to see today women absolutely terrified for their own safety, for their children’s safety.”
The Reform UK MP warned victims of domestic abuse, coercive relationships and sexual offences could be left vulnerable as offenders are released back into the community.
“Many of them are now untagged, despite what the government has promised, not being monitored and basically free to go and seek revenge on the victims that put them into these prisons in the first place,” she said.
Sarah Pochin said it was a matter of ‘political will’ to fix the issue
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GB NEWS
“That is the really serious problem that’s being faced today. Somebody needs to highlight the danger to these women who are currently terrified in their homes.”
The Government has said prisoners are being released under strict conditions, including restriction zones limiting where they can travel, alongside what ministers have described as a record rollout of ankle tags.
However, Ms Pochin questioned whether the system could deliver the level of monitoring promised.
“I know from my 20 years in the courts, even when I left that job only two years ago, that probation was unable to tag prisoners who were serving the remainder of their sentence out in the community quickly and efficiently,” she said.
“If they claim they have a mental health issue, or if they claim they are of no fixed abode, then you are not able to tag these prisoners.
“What does that mean? It means that they’re out there unsupervised, free to go and find their victims to reoffend.
“We know from evidence that the re-offending rates, particularly in cases of domestic violence, are incredibly high,” Ms Pochin said.