Police are bracing for a crime surge on Britain's streets within a year if the Government's sentencing reforms go ahead.
The changes proposed in the Sentencing Bill will include a number of shorter prison sentences slashed and some criminals released early.
Policing chiefs are preparing for thousands of criminal offences in the aftermath of the planned reforms as more offenders are loose on Britain's streets instead of behind bars.
The Government has said the proposals included in the legislation will help tackle the overcrowding crisis plaguing prisons across the country.
Policing chiefs are preparing for thousands of criminal offences to be committed in the aftermath of the planned reforms
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But police bosses have warned that the added strain on policing will cost the taxpayer between £300million to £400million, branding it “an unfunded consequence” of the Bill.
Between June 2024 and June 2025, there were 6.6 million criminal offences recorded by police in England and Wales.
Police have estimated that the reforms could cause a six per cent rise in crime across the country.
This figure equates to around 396,000 additional recorded crimes in just one year.
Police have estimated that the reforms could cause a six per cent rise in crime across the country
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The probation service is aiming to recruit 1,500 officers a year for the next three years to manage demand if the reforms to sentencing go ahead as planned.
Assistant Chief Constable Jason Devonport said police forces around the country are bracing themselves for a rise in all forms of criminal offences.
Mr Devonport said: “We are expecting that while the programmes in the community are being ramped up by the probation service as part of their implementation plan to support offenders to rehabilitate, we expect, certainly in the short term, there will be an increase of offending in the community.
“I believe in the Sentencing Bill and I believe in rehabilitation but it has to be properly funded.”
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The probation service is aiming to recruit 1,500 officers a year for the next three years
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However, some police chiefs have backed the plan to cut the number of short term prison sentences.
Chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens said: “We’ve all been in policing long enough to know that some of the things that help people stop offending or desist from offending are not going to be resolved by short sentences in particular.
“So that’s a fundamental reason why we’re supportive of this.
“Our issue is in the short-term period of the implementation, there is a shift of demand on to policing, and we want that shift of demand onto us to be properly recognised and properly modelled … so we can have the right and appropriate resource in there to mitigate the risk to communities.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “The Government inherited a prison system in crisis, days away from running out of space.
“This would have brought the justice system to a standstill, stopped the police from being able to make arrests and led to unchecked criminality on our streets.
“Public safety will always be our top priority and we are building 14,000 more prison places to keep dangerous offenders locked up.
“Offenders released face strict licence conditions and we are increasing the probation budget by an extra £700 million over the next three years and investing in new technology to reduce admin so staff can focus on work that reduces reoffending.”
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