Aileen O'Connor, chair of the Thames Valley Police Federation, has warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that the country faces an "exodus" of police officers if the government does not provide greater support and funding for forces. O'Connor's remarks come as a petition against the early release of Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, the killers of PC Andrew Harper, has garnered over a million signatures.
PC Harper was dragged to his death in August 2019 while attempting to prevent the theft of a quad bike. Bowers and Cole were initially eligible for early release under a scheme that has since been revised. Following public outcry, Burnham excluded them from the program.
"There's an exodus still happening across police forces in this country and they (the Government) really need to address that," O'Connor stated. She emphasized the need for "better funding," "better support," and fair treatment for officers, highlighting the daily challenges they face. "What I'd like the Prime Minister to realise is what it's like to be a police officer in this day and age, in 2026," she added. O'Connor noted that an officer is assaulted every ten minutes in the UK, with statistics from the Home Office showing over 39,000 reports of assaults in the year to April 2025, resulting in nearly 16,200 officers injured.
O'Connor presented the petition to Downing Street, urging Burnham to "get behind policing." She called for a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including courts and sentencing, arguing that policing funding has historically been an afterthought. "We always get the crumbs at the end, and that needs to change," she said.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the "anguish" of bereaved families affected by U-turns on the prisoner early-release program but stopped short of an apology. "I do understand their anguish. I listened to what they were saying, I came in and asked for changes to the early-release scheme," Burnham responded to a call for an apology from Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies.
New changes announced on Sunday exclude individuals convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter and death by dangerous driving, from the early-release scheme.
