More than 1,400 CRIMINALS ON THE RUN in Britain as authorities fail to track them down

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Authorities’ failure to identify the escaped criminals has been blasted by MPs

A total of 1,428 prisoners – including 15 murderers – remained at large at the end of September despite breaking their parole conditions, with one having been missing for more than 30 years.

On top of this, it was revealed the Ministry of Justice failed to answer a Freedom of Information request sent in July which had requested the missing convicts be named by authorities.

MPs have slammed the decision not to name the criminals for six months, claiming that releasing their identities could have helped to trace them.

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  Former ministers plead for prison population to be HALVED to 45,000

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  Child criminals should be given life-long anonymity

People will rightly ask why it seems prisoners’ privacy is being put before public safety

Charlie Elphicke

Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, said: “It is unacceptable that 15 murderers and more than 1,400 criminals are on the run.

“These dangerous criminals must be caught and put back behind bars.

“It is ridiculous that the MoJ did not name these killers until now.”

He added: “How could we be protected – or help catch them – if we don’t know who they are?

“People will rightly ask why it seems prisoners’ privacy is being put before public safety.

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Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has slammed the decision not to name the convicts as ‘disgraceful’

“The priority must always be to protect the public and put law abiding people first.”

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron backed up Mr Elphicke’s comments, describing the authorities’ failures as “disgraceful”.

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The Ministry of Justice has come under fire recently following several riots in British prisons

He said: “It is astonishing that more than 1,400 dangerous people can be on the run. This shows that the Government is just out of touch and frankly grossly incompetent.

“Some of these people are accused of some really nasty offences; rapes and grievous bodily harm. They simply should not be on our streets and it is disgraceful that they are.”

The newly-released statistics show the number of criminals currently on the run is up 46 per cent compared with 2012.

A spokesman for the National Offender Management Service said: “In over 99 per cent of cases where an offender has been recalled, the police have apprehended the offender and successfully returned him to custody – but we are not complacent.

“Public protection is our priority.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman added: “When incidents like this occur, police are immediately notified.

“They are responsible for locating the offender and we work closely with them to assist in returning these people to prison.”