Thousands 'walk out of open prisons'

Last updated at 15:51 06 August 2006


More than 4,000 prisoners have absconded from open jails in England and Wales since 2001, it emerged today.

The details came in an official Home Office response to a parliamentary question from shadow home secretary David Davis.

Mr Davis denounced the 4,307 total of absconders - including 693 in 2005-06 alone - as "unacceptable" and said it showed the Government was failing in its duty to protect the public.

"This massive number of absconds is unacceptable and shows that the Government have been consistently failing in their duty to protect the public," said Mr Davis.

"It beggars belief that so many offenders were allowed to walk out of prison over such a long period.

"Coming after the foreign prisoner fiasco, the release of dangerous criminals onto our streets and the chaos in the asylum and immigration service, this is yet another major blow for a department that is proving incapable of doing its job."

The figures come as police today said convicted burglar Conrad Hogg, 28, had absconded from from Leyhill Open Prison in South Gloucestershire, on Saturday.

Police said Hogg was serving a sentence for burglary and was due to be released later this month.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: "Hogg is known to have connections in Gloucester and West Mercia and police in those Forces are making their own inquiries there."

He added that Hogg may be wearing a blue and white T-shirt, red tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.

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