Nineteen murderers and 12 rapists are among almost a thousand criminals who are missing and being hunted by police after they broke the terms of their release from jail.

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, told MPs that senior police officers had ordered forces throughout England and Wales to take “priority action” to find, arrest and return to jail those convicted of sexual or violent offences.

He said that the Association of Chief Police Officers had also asked forces to review and renew their efforts to arrest the other offenders on the list.

Overall, 954 offenders released from prisons before March this year had not been found and returned to jail by the end of last month, the Ministry of Justice disclosed yesterday. One murderer has been at large for 25 years after being recalled to jail for violating his licence.

Yesterday’s statement to MPs came after the first official audit of those released prisoners who have never been returned to prison despite their licences being revoked.

Figures show that some offenders who were recalled up to 25 years ago are still on the run. Two murderers recalled between 1984 and 1999 are still at large. A total of 19 offenders recalled between 1984 and 1999 had not been returned to prison by last month. In addition to the two murderers, others at large from this period include a rapist, an arsonist and a kidnapper plus four robbers, two burglars and four drug offenders.

The figures show 142 offenders recalled between January 1999 and March 2004 were still at large; 40 between 2004-05; 96 between 2005-06; 90 between 2007-08.

Provisional figures for the year 2008-09 show that more than 400 criminals who should have been returned to jail are on the run.

Of the 612 criminals still missing by June last year but not yet in jail, 99 were convicted originally of violent crimes. That includes 32 convicted of causing grievous bodily harm, 19 murderers and 3 with offences for assaulting police officers.

Twenty-six were sexual offenders, including 5 paedophiles, 8 with indecent assault records and 12 rapists. The remainder include 72 robbers, 60 burglars and 122 with drug offences.

The Ministry of Justice said that details of the offences committed by the 342 criminals who should have been recalled in the past 12 months were not immediately available.

Last month it was revealed that delays in recalling the violent robber Dano Sonnex to jail for breaching his release licence meant that he was free to roam the streets and murder two French students in New Cross, South London, in 2008. Offenders are recalled to prison if they breach the terms of their release — such as by committing further crimes, not meeting their probation officer or failing to live at an approved address.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman defended the performance on recalls as “creditable”. He said: “The largest majority of reasons for recall in this data are for being out of touch with their probation officer.”

Mr Straw said: “The recall system works well — of those recalled between 1999 and June 2008 just 0.7 per cent of offenders have not been apprehended.

“But we are far from complacent and recognise that the system has to be strengthened further, not least in respect of those serious offenders who remain at large.”

Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Justice Secretary, said: “Labour’s reckless early release scheme and lax approach to probation is putting the public at greater risk. Cuts to frontline probation services will only make this situation even worse.”

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