The UK government will exclude certain offenders from an early prisoner release scheme. Rapists, child sexual abusers, and groomers will not qualify.

The scheme covers England and Wales. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the change.

The early release of thousands of prisoners will now be delayed. It will start in October instead.

Burnham said keeping the public safe is his top priority. He said he wanted to exclude even more offenders.

But he said that risked collapsing the prison system. Offenders released early will face tighter supervision in their communities.

This includes new GPS tracking for rapists to limit their movements. The decision follows criticism from the widow of PC Andrew Harper.

Her husband was a police officer killed in the line of duty. She called it disgusting that his killers could still get early release.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg also spoke about the issue. He said the earlier decision was discouraging for police officers.