KNIFE CRIME UP 3 PER CENT
 
OVER 70 PER CENT OF KNIFE CRIMINALS DON’T GET PRISON SENTENCES
 
New statistics published today show that if SNP justice Minister Kenny MacAskill’s plans to scrap six month sentences are passed then over 12,000 criminals will avoid jail.
 
These include people guilty of serious assaults, robbery, indecent assault, housebreaking and knife crime.
 
The SNP want to end six month sentences and replace them with community orders.
 
According to today’s figures there has been a 34 per cent increase in convictions for lewd and indecent behaviour and a 3 per cent increase in knife offences.
 
Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Baker said:
 
“These figures show the absolute folly of the SNP plans to scrap six month prison sentences. Knife crime is up as well as a huge increase in lewd and indecent behaviour and still Kenny MacAskill presses on with his under-funded and dangerous plans.
 
“The SNP refuse to do anything about knife criminals and yet we find that 71 per cent of knife criminals currently do not receive a custodial sentence and of those that do - two thirds would avoid jail entirely under the SNP’s plans.
 
“We welcome the increase in length of sentences for those convicted of handling an offensive weapon, and this is a result of tough legislation passed by Labour in the last Executive to create longer sentences for these crimes.  But we must always look to do more to tackle knife crime, and under MacAskill’s plans to scrap sentences of six months 627 criminals convicted of these offences would now actually go free.
 
“These figures show that the SNP are putting criminals before victims and deeply damaging our justice system.”

9 March 2010