Currently they are trapped in an increasingly punitive system where the criteria used to assess their risk are changed every few months, usually as a result of some high-profile crime.

However, the area has often been a target for high-profile crime.

Officials said that if there were big payouts, criminals could link them to high-profile crimes and deduce what the police had been up to.

The case follows a series of high-profile crimes carried out by dangerous criminals released early on licence.

Some police officers alleged that they were not asked to prosecute less-serious quality of life crimes, and that they should only be on the lookout for high-profile crimes.