Labour's plan to release thousands of killers, thugs and paedophiles looks set to be thrown into chaos as probation officers are expected to vote in favour of industrial action. But with the dry-run result expected to be in favour, it means walkouts could be underway by the end of the year, coinciding with Labour's early release scheme. Under the scheme, around 5,000 serious criminals – including killers and wife-beaters – will be released early over ten months from October. The Probation Service employs about 21,000 full-time staff, but has a shortfall of about 1,500 full-time probation officers. The latest government data from December showed 5,437 full-time probation officers in post against a target level of 7,110.