The chief inspector of probation for England and Wales has told the BBC the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to "a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder" because of the demands on probation staff to monitor offenders. The government is set to release 5,000 offenders from October as part of new laws to create more space in overcrowded prisons. "I mean, they're managing a caseload of 258,000 cases, that's nearly three times the number that are in our prisons, and obviously the early release scheme will be increasing that pressure considerably." On Tuesday, 50 police chiefs across the UK signed a letter to the prime minister urging him to pursue "every legal option" to prevent the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers under the scheme. The letter said grooming gang perpetrators, including those convicted of indecent assault, and those convicted of the manslaughter of an emergency worker should be exempt from the early release scheme.