WESTMINSTER COMMITTEE RECOMMEND SCOTTISH APPROACH TO KNIFE CRIME.

WESTMINSTER COMMITTEE RECOMMEND SCOTTISH APPROACH TO KNIFE CRIME.

OPPOSITION UNDERMINED ON KNIFE CRIME YET AGAIN

Welcoming a report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee which rejects mandatory sentencing and recommends the establishment of a Scottish approach to tackle knife crime south of the border SNP MSP Angela Constance – a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee – said it further undermined the Labour and Tory positions north of the border.

According to the Committee, chaired by Labour MP Keith Vaz they “oppose a mandatory sentence” and “recommend the establishment of a cross-departmental unit at Government level, along the lines of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, whose role is to oversee the work of partnerships in this area and spread good practice.”

The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is headed by Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan who was reported earlier this week in the Holyrood Magazine saying that “mandatory sentences [for carrying a knife] don’t work and that’s the reason I don’t support them”. Scotland's Labour and Tory Justice spokespeople say they support mandatory sentences.

Commenting Mr Constance said:

"It’s patently clear that areas of Scotland are blighted by violence and that's why the Scottish Government is taking the tough action needed on those who carry and use knives.

"Jail terms for knife carrying have increased by a third and Courts have been given powers to impose four year sentences just for carrying a knife.

"This report is a very welcome development and undermines the calls from Scottish Labour and the Tories for mandatory sentences. Scotland is leading the way on tackling knife crime in the UK and this report underscores that.

“The UK Committee's recognition that mandatory sentences are not the solution and their focus on Scotland's public health based approach as the best way to tackle knife crime should be a wake up call for Scotland's opposition.

"Detective Chief Superintendent Carnochan's comments on sentencing have already exposed the opposition’s utter opportunism when it comes to Justice policy.

“When one of Scotland's leading police officers says mandatory sentences don't work or are not possible it's time opposition parties dropped their posturing and focussed on the serious policies that will change Scotland's knife culture.”