Posted on 05/07/2006 9:04:27 PM PDT by neverdem
More than half of the most dangerous offenders released in the foreign prisoner scandal cannot be found, Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, admitted yesterday.
Eight days after the Home Office disclosed that more than 1,000 foreign criminals, including killers, rapists and child abusers, had been released into the community, Mr Clarke told MPs that hundreds were still at large, including 49 of the most serious cases.
Tony Blair promised "automatic deportation" in future for jailed foreigners. But the Prime Minister's get tough" pledge fell apart when it emerged that he was talking about "a presumption" that foreign prisoners would be deported, rather than a guarantee that it would happen in every case.
No 10 later admitted that it would not be able to send prisoners back to countries where their lives would be at risk and the Home Office acknowledged that appeals could be made under human rights legislation.
The deportation pledge was immediately challenged by European Union officials in Brussels. They said that any automatic system of expulsions would contravene a new EU directive that specifically bans national governments from seeking to expel an EU citizen solely on the basis of criminal convictions.
Mr Clarke, who is fighting to hold on to his Cabinet post, said that, of the 79 most serious offenders identified last week - convicted of murder, manslaughter, rape and child sex attacks - 32 had been tracked down and officials had ruled out deporting nine others. The Home Office confirmed that the remaining 38 were still at large. A further 11 offenders in the category of "more serious offences" had been identified among the 1,023 released overall.
Officials refused to say whether any of the 11 were in custody but said that seven were being considered for deportation.
Mr Clarke said that a major police incident room had been set up in Portsmouth to co-ordinate the hunt. But David Davis, the shadow home secretary, accused him of "bolting the prison door after the prisoners have fled". He said Mr Clarke had compounded the Home Office's blunder by telling the press about the problem before the police, giving many of the offenders time to disappear.
In the latest damaging development for the Government, it was revealed that an Iraqi Kurd wanted for questioning in connection with the attempted murder of a man and a sexual attack on a 15-year-old girl had been recommended for deportation after a previous court case.
On Tuesday it emerged that a 25-year-old Somalian, Mustaf Jama, 25, was allowed to stay in Britain only months before he was implicated in the murder of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford last November. He is on the run.
The foreign prisoner crisis dominated Prime Minister's Questions. Both David Cameron, the Conservative leader, and Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, called for the Home Secretary to be sacked.
Mr Cameron said that Mr Clarke would for ever be associated with the scandal of releasing prisoners on to the streets.
"While the Prime Minister keeps him in office, his claim to be tough on crime will be completely hollow," he said.
Mr Blair made a strong defence of Mr Clarke, dismissing calls for his resignation despite reports of exasperation in Downing Street over the crisis.
He said that Mr Clarke was not to blame for the blunder, because the problem was a long-standing one that had not been created while he was Home Secretary.
Mr Blair said he wanted to overhaul the system so that any foreign national who committed an imprisonable offence was deported automatically. For the second week running, he left the chamber after Question Time and did not stay for Mr Clarke's statement.
Mr Clarke admitted that it had been "an unedifying episode" for the Home Office but he had said he would "stay and put the situation right".
He said the Home Office would set out proposals this month to ensure that the "guiding principle" would be that foreign nationals guilty of criminality should expect to be deported.
"Where deportation can properly be considered, the clear presumption should be that deportation will follow unless there are special circumstances why it cannot."
The presumption would include those on the sex offenders register, repeat offenders and anybody convicted of an imprisonable offence "whether or not a sentence of imprisonment was given". Experts said that could lead to fare dodgers and poachers being considered for deportation.
A European Commission official, dismissing blanket deportation, said Britain was firmly bound by this week's "Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of EU citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the member states".
just damn
Perhaps it's time for Europe to rid itself of this foolish rule. After all this is war, and not some gentlemans duel.
No 10 later admitted that it would not be able to send prisoners back to countries where their lives would be at risk and the Home Office acknowledged that appeals could be made under human rights legislation.
but its ok if they commit murder, rape, and other vicious crimes against UK citizens. They must of course not upset the multiculture apple cart in the name of "human rights".
This is horrible. Also, it's proof that open borders and a welfare system without accountability are a recipe for disaster.
Until they prey mainly on wealthy neighborhoods, such results of socialism as this will yield more crime, and hence more victims either ruined or dead every day.
The lynch-pin.
Time to lynch some pin-heads.
What the heck is with these Clarke’s?
...as indeed they have, since he's now been sacked!
There's a shocker.
This is old news, Clarke has been sacked, and the criminals are being rounded up. Shockingly, but perhaps not suprisingly, some appear to be hard to find. Some of them have gone on to commit more crimes.
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