Over 30,000 are wanted on outstanding arrest warrants

The actual number of people who are wanted by police on outstanding warrants stands at more than 30,000, new figures show.

The numbers were released after a BBC Freedom of Information (FoI) request to police forces across the UK showed that more than 30,000 people are wanted by police on outstanding arrest warrants, with a large number of those having failed to appear in court.

The data relates to figures from December 2011 to February this year after the request was made to all 52 police forces, with some of the detailed numbers showing that 14 per cent of warrants are related to violent crimes and three per cent to sex crimes.

The figures released by 23 of the total number of forces showed that 2,027 warrants were for specific offences of violence such as murder, causing death by dangerous driving and assault; while a further 423 warrants were for sexual crimes including rape. The figures from the remaining 29 forces – two did not reply – provided only an indication of the actual number of outstanding warrants in existence.

The figures cover cases where a defendant has failed to appear for trial as well as those where an arrest warrant has been issued by a court.

Serious concerns were first raised at the end of last year when it was revealed that more than 30,000 people were prosecuted in 2010 for jumping bail, while 15,631 offenders broke the terms of their licence conditions and were recalled to prison, including 111 criminals on life sentences. It was also revealed that one in ten crimes being committed by someone on bail included 41 murders and 129 rapes.

Victims have questioned why potentially dangerous suspects are bailed.

Heidi Olseen, who was raped at a party in London in 2008, spoke last week after waiving her right to anonymity to help other victims. She said she remains in fear after her alleged attacker went on the run.

Kimamo Wanjunki Kimamo was charged with raping her and bailed but failed to attend Hendon Magistrates’ Court in London in January 2009. The 25-year-old has not been seen since.

In response to the figures, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said many warrants were outstanding because suspects had failed to appear in court over issues such as traffic offences.

Assistant Chief Constable Alison Roome-Gifford said: “What is most important is that police forces have robust systems in place to identify, track and locate those individuals who present the greatest threat of harm to the public. When such an individual fails to appear, police forces will prioritise searching for such people and bringing them before the courts at the earliest opportunity.”

The Home Office said the management of an outstanding arrest warrant is an operational matter for the police, and that it is committed to ensuring the police and other agencies have the tools and powers they need to protect victims of crime and to bring offenders to justice.

A spokesperson said: “By publishing increasing amounts of data through crime maps and with the introduction of directly-elected police and crime commissioners, we are giving communities the information they need to hold their local force to account.”

However, Victim Support, a national charity which supports victims of crime, said the figures were disturbing.

Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: “It is disturbing that there are such a high number of outstanding warrants, particularly for people who are charged with violent and sexual crimes. Not only does this create considerable anger and frustration for victims but it means that justice is not achieved and puts more people at risk of becoming victims. We urge the police to do all they can to rectify this situation.”