Some probation officers given a week’s notice of serious offenders’ release, union says

Exclusive: Napo says officers do not feel protected as 2,000 offenders to be let out early to try to ease prison crisis

Probation officers have been given as little as a week's notice to prepare for serious offenders to be freed in England and Wales under the government's early-release scheme, the Guardian has been told.

About 2,000 prisoners are expected to be let out on Tuesday 10 September amid warnings of a coming spike in crime. But members of the probation officers' union Napo were only informed on 3 September that this would include some serious offenders being released into their supervision.