Eight men have been arrested by Greater Manchester Police days after leaving prison under the government’s early release scheme. Around 700 prisoners were released early on 1 October to tackle overcrowding, with about 50 released from Greater Manchester. GMP said five men were arrested for breaches of criminal orders, including a domestic abuse prevention order. Others were arrested on suspicion of robbery, drug offences and domestic violence. The Ministry of Justice said it inherited a prison system “on the brink of collapse” and argued police would have been forced to halt arrests if it had not acted. Under the first phase, offenders serving sentences of up to 19 months were eligible for release after serving one third of their sentence. The government said a further 2,500 prisoners are due to be released across the country by the end of the year because the prison system is running at 98.2% capacity. The MOJ said Neighbourhood Police officers are being deployed, police funding is being increased to £18.5bn, and investment in probation is being expanded, alongside controls for people out on licence. GMP Deputy Chief Constable Terry Wood said the force has worked closely with partners to ensure offenders adhere to their conditions, and that any breaches are being enforced. He added that GMP will respond promptly to reports of crime to protect victims and pursue criminals. The latest status of the eight men is that they have been arrested, with GMP continuing the investigation into the suspected breaches and offences.