Prisoners could serve parts of their sentences in cells at police stations in Greater Manchester as part of a national drive to reduce 'acute and sudden' overcrowding in jails, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.
Greater Manchester Police - GMP - has revealed it has 'agreed to support' the proposals and has offered to 'supply a small number of cells across the custody suites maintained within our force to assist in housing inmates from the prison estate'. The exact numbers of prisoners, or the locations of police stations, has not been confirmed, but GMP said 'all forces' have been approached by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
The news comes after it was revealed council bosses in Manchester are lobbying the Government to shut Strangeways prison - HMP Manchester - and move it out of the city, saying the Victorian jail was coming to the end of its natural lifespan' and not suitable for the 'significant remodelling and expansion' needed to bring it up to modern-day standards.
