Police ‘left to deal with fallout’ of poorly planned early release of 1,700 prisoners

Police association chief says criminals potentially being freed in England and Wales without proper rehabilitation plans

• Inevitable some will get recalled': concern as 1,700 prisoners released early

Police are at the centre of a storm" caused by poor planning after 1,700 prisoners were released early across England and Wales to ease overcrowding, a senior officer has said.

Amid concerns that hundreds of inmates could end up homeless or return to crime, the president of the Police Superintendents' Association, Nick Smart, said some inmates were being set free without a programme and that the police would be left to deal with the consequences.