Police chiefs are being told to make fewer arrests and stop operations that could lead to the arrest of “large numbers” of suspects

Last night it was reported that police have been ordered to make fewer arrests to save space in overcrowded prisons.

A leaked memo from the National Police Chiefs’ Council tells police chiefs to postpone “non-priority arrests” and stop operations that would result in “large numbers of arrests.”

Sources described non-urgent arrests as cases where operations could be arranged for a later date, such as examining CCTV footage or forensic investigations.

It comes as Britain’s prisons face an overcrowding crisis caused by the backlog of trials, lawyers’ strikes and tougher sentencing laws.

In the last recorded year, the prison population rose by 5,200 as England and Wales reached capacity.

The memo states: “Consideration should be given to suspending non-priority arrests and any planned operations that could result in large numbers of arrests to reduce pressure within the criminal justice system.”

“However, protecting the public remains a priority and a careful threat, damage and risk assessment must be carried out when considering a pause in police operations.”

Police sources made it clear that arrests would not be treated as an afterthought during large-scale protests or events.

An internal letter from the NPCC to police chiefs in England and Wales described the move as having an “unsustainable operational impact on policing”.

Among other recent emergency measures, the memo has been accused of endangering public safety and restricting police work on the ground.

Under another measure, Operation Early Dawn, bail hearings will be postponed from Wednesday. The defendants are held in police cells until space becomes available in the prison.

To prevent overcrowding, the defendants are being held in police custody.

The Justice Department expects cells in prisons to be released as early as Thursday under a third emergency measure, allowing some prisoners to be released up to 70 days early.

The measures were described as a “temporary stopgap” by the Prison Officers Association and the Prison Governor’s Association.

Gavin Stephens, NPCC Chair, said: “We work closely with partners in the criminal justice system to manage demand in the system and keep the public safe.”

“Police will always arrest anyone when necessary to ensure the safety of the public, including policing protests and events and ensuring people are arrested as expected.”

A government spokesman said: “Public safety will always be our first priority.” That’s why we’ve equipped our police with the officers and resources they need to keep our streets safe and are introducing new laws to keep the most dangerous offenders safe for longer while we undertake the largest prison expansion program in 100 years.

“We continue to see pressure on our prisons following the impact of the pandemic and the lawyers’ strike and have launched an operational measure previously deployed to safely transfer prisoners between court and prison.”