GETTY FILE IMAGE Authorities' failure to identify the escaped criminals has been blasted by MPs

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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.

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.”

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“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”.

GETTY FILE IMAGE 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.

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