11th June 2009
Baker says too many knife criminals avoid jail in Fife
• 74 per cent convicted for handling an offensive weapon in 2007/8 in Fife did not get sent to jail.
Claire Baker MSP has repeated calls to introduce mandatory custodial sentences for all caught carrying or offending using knives.
Scottish Labour has stepped up their knife crime campaign by releasing shocking figures which show how many criminals caught with an offensive weapon are given a community sentence or a fine, rather than a jail sentence.
The official government figures show that in 2007-08 only 25.4 per cent of all those convicted for handling a weapon actually went to jail, 38.5 per cent were sentenced to serve a community sentence and 26.2 per cent had to pay a fine.
Claire Baker MSP said:
"The SNP government is sending out the wrong message. We believe if you carry a knife you should go to jail – it is that simple.
"Knives are lethal weapons and it is completely unacceptable to walk the streets of Fife with one. It is about time the law was toughened up on those who think it is acceptable to carry a blade.”
Scottish Labour have attacked the Scottish Government's lack of action on knife crime which includes:
- creating a presumption against all custodial sentences of six months or less which would see 65 per cent of knife criminals that currently receive custodial sentences dodge jail;
- stalled on the implementation of a knife licensing scheme; and
- failing to respond to Labour's calls to hold a Scotland-wide knife amnesty.
Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary, Richard Baker MSP added:
"Knife crime claims far too many lives in Scotland. That is why Scottish Labour doubled the maximum sentence and now wants to go further still with the introduction of a minimum sentence.
"Kenny MacAskill has dithered over the Licensing Scheme and is alarmingly complacent over sentencing. The SNP are soft on knife crime and it is time that the public were listened to.”
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