Scottish Labour has called for better management and assessment of high risk offenders after a damning report was published today. The party also called on the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to immediately implement the 19 recommendations of the report urgently.

Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Baker said:

"The management of high risk offenders – particularly sex offenders-  should be one of the Justice Ministers top priorities. This report makes it clear that he is failing to manage the system properly. He needs to get a grip on this issue and he needs to do it quickly.

"The MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) arrangements brought in by Labour appear to be working in regard to sex offenders but other areas of practice are simply not functioning properly.

"It is not good enough for Ministers to pass these matters off as operational. Kenny MacAskill needs to take responsibility and take personal charge of making the necessary improvements immediately."

19/06/2009