Emergency prison measures taken in Manchester as more rioters sentenced

Emergency plans to avoid prison overcrowding have been activated in the North of England as more rioters are sentenced.

Operation Early Dawn, a long-standing plan which allows defendants to be held in police cells and not summon them to magistrates’ court until a space in prison is available, was activated on Monday morning (August 19), the Ministry of Justice said.

The measure will be put in place in the North East and Yorkshire; Cumbria and Lancashire; and Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire regions.

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Prisons and probation minister Lord Timpson said: “We inherited a justice system in crisis and exposed to shocks. As a result, we have been forced into making difficult but necessary decisions to keep it operating.

“However, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff and partners, we have brought forward additional prison places and now introduced Operation Early Dawn to manage the pressure felt in some parts of the country.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council custody lead Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp added: “We are working closely with criminal justice system 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.”