North criminals breach licence laws and escape abroad

Jul 12 2009 by William Green, Sunday Sun

NORTH criminals who should have been sent back to prison have escaped abroad and been missing for YEARS.

Northumbria Police admitted three prisoners who have breached their release licences and should gone back to jail have disappeared overseas for a “considerable” amount of time.

But cops refused to release details, claiming publicity may prove “counter productive” as it emerged nearly 1000 prisoners on licence recalled to jail have disappeared nationwide.

Northumbria Police also said two other such prisoners were unaccounted for, but that other forces may be responsible for them.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice also show two offenders disappeared in the Cleveland and Teesside area up until the end of last month, although only one is now missing.

And two criminals went missing in the Durham area, although probation chiefs said both were “fully accounted for”.

Durham cops refused to release details, claiming it was not possible because of data protection rules.

Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve said: “The whole point of releasing prisoners on licence is that they can be monitored and returned to prison if they breach.

“The public will be shocked that the Government has lost track of almost 1000 criminal fugitives including murderers, paedophiles and sex offenders.”

He added: “Labour’s reckless early release scheme and lax approach to probation is putting the public at greater risk. Cuts to frontline probation services will only make this situation even worse.”