Six thousand suspected criminals on the run in Scotland

By Cara Sulieman

JUSTICE Secretary Kenny Mackaskill was yesterday  accused of “losing grip” on crime after it was revealed almost 6,000 suspected criminals are on the run in Scotland as police fail to fulfil their warrants.

They include those feared to have committed some of the most serious crimes in the country including five outstanding warrants for murder, eight for attempted murder, six for rape and one for attempted rape.

The vast majority of others are for so called lesser crimes such as breach of the peace and road traffic offences.

But astonishingly, the figures could be just the tip of the iceberg as three of Scotland’s police forces admit they do not keep an easily accessible record of what crimes each outstanding warrant is for.