Leicestershire Police deny officers are questioning those arrested

Mr Nixon said: “The work of Leicestershire Police has not changed since the early release from prison scheme began. Protecting our communities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland remains at the heart of everything we do.

“A critical part of our service is ensuring we deal with those who cause the most harm, and so continuing to arrest people where necessary to allow full and detailed investigations to take place remains an important part of our daily work.”

A report outlining what happened in the Leicester and Rutland police region under the early release scheme, which was considered by the commission on Monday, said there was “no significant increase in the volume of crime caused by the early release scheme”.

It also says the police commissioner’s officer will use spare capacity to work with the probation service to refer men under 25 to services to prevent returning to prison, LDRS said.