NINE sex offenders who have gone missing in Scotland could be on the run overseas, it has been revealed.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that at the end of September ten registered sex offenders were missing, nine of whom are believed to be abroad.

The number was disclosed as Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill answered a parliamentary question from Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell, who says GPS tracking of sex offenders should be introduced.

It also emerged that between 2007/08 and 2011/12 there have been 247 breaches of sexual offences prevention order, with 52 instances last year. The majority of these resulted in the offender being returned to custody.

The figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives also revealed that in the past five years there have 685 convictions of sex offenders who either failed to provide up-to-date information to police or lied about their whereabouts.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for the GPS tracking of sex offenders since 2007.

The figures come after it was revealed earlier this week that the number of sex offenders living in communities is at a new high of 3314. The Scottish Policing Performance Framework also showed that 91 sex offenders were returned to jail last year after breaching their licence.

Ms Mitchell MSP said: "These sex offenders who have fled the country could have been stopped if GPS tracking had been introduced. The technology to do exactly this has existed for some time and the Scottish Government has a responsibility to the public to make sure this measure is available and utilised.

"The SNP says tracking of sex offenders in Scotland is among the most stringent anywhere, but these figures tell us a different story. Once an offender has escaped the watch of authorities here, there isn't much to stop them re-embarking on the insidious and dangerous behaviour that brought them to the attention of police in the first place."

But Professor Ross Deuchar, criminologist at the University of the West of Scotland, said the figures actually demonstrated how small the problem was.

"We need to put the facts into perspective," he said. "The fact that nine offenders have fled the country or that 52 breaches of community orders took place last year is being sensationalised as a means of masking the reality that the majority, actually several thousand, of these types of offenders who are under community supervision are actually complying with their orders and often responding well to them.

"In spite of what the Margaret Mitchell says, axing automatic early release for sex offenders could be counter-productive - ­jailing our way out of these ­problems often brings about increased propensity to re-offend upon release."

He added: "Community-based alternatives provide opportunity for treatment, rehabilitation and a greater likelihood of desistance because offenders take on new responsibilities, and are often exposed to positive mentorship, which they don't get while in prison."