Met Police chief 'flabbergasted' by release of knife and gun crime suspects on bail

Suspects charged with serious knife and firearm offences are being released on bail amid Britain's prison overcrowding crisis, the country's most senior police officer has warned.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was "flabbergasted" by a fall in the number of defendants accused of knife and gun crimes being remanded in custody – which he claimed was leading to the accused being repeatedly charged and bailed over the same offences.

Despite saying stricter knife crime and firearms legislation had helped reduce serious crime over the last 25 years, Sir Mark said the country was now "seeing the consequences" of what he called an "overloaded justice system".

He said: "We are seeing rapidly reducing imprisonment for people sentenced for knife crime offences, knife crime possession, even repeat knife carriers, so that's going down.

"That is then anticipated at the start of the process, so far fewer are being remanded in custody.

"So routinely now we're seeing people charged again and again and again with carrying knives, and they're being bailed again and again and again, and that really concerns me."

Referring to a recent example of an individual attempting to take a blade around 18 inches long into Notting Hill Carnival, Sir Mark said it had been that particular individual's fourth knife offence of the year.

"He tries to take something that looks like a small sword into carnival, and he's been bailed again," the Met Commissioner added.

"That is deeply concerning to me, the message that sends, and that fundamentally undermines offender control."

Dozens of weapons were seized at the two-day event last weekend, including a handgun.

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Sir Mark said the force is also seeing a similar pattern with firearm offences.

He said there are currently around 34 cases of individuals charged with firearms offences in London who are all on bail pending trial, adding that in nine of those cases, the suspects had fired shots in confrontation.

Sir Mark insisted that a few years ago this "just wouldn't have happened".

Prison crisis

The Met chief's comments come just days after Justice Secretary Alex Norris announced plans to spend £110m on creating more prison places as part of the government's pledge to add 14,000 extra prison spaces by 2031.

The remarks also come as pressure continues to mount on Prime Minister Andy Burnham over the government's early release scheme, which comes into effect in October in a bid to help ease the prison overcrowding crisis.

The scheme has come under particular scrutiny in recent weeks over the potential release of two of PC Andrew Harper's killers, with a petition set up to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers behind bars receiving more than one million signatures last month.

Mr Burnham asked Mr Norris to find a way to prevent the pair – who were handed 13 years for manslaughter in 2020 after the death of the Thames Valley Police officer – from being released early.

(c) Sky News 2026: Met Police chief 'flabbergasted' by release of knife and gun crime suspects on bail