Knife crime: 'A clear deterrent would stop people carrying knives'

Published on Tuesday 16 March 2010 09:03

THERE would be no great outcry from the public, and certainly not from families whose lives have been blighted by knife crime, if mandatory jail sentences were introduced.

After days of debate in Scotland over the wisdom and cost of such a policy the issue was given added weight yesterday when Gordon Brown backed an initiative calling for tougher action.

This is an emotive matter, and for good reason – last year a record 57 people died in Scotland as a result of knife attacks. Here in the Lothians the conviction rate for possession is at an all-time high, yet 70 per cent of those caught nationally still avoid jail.

Those who demand automatic sentences argue that if someone is willing to carry a knife they must be presumed willing to use it.

This is a compelling argument, though its critics point out that sending to jail anyone caught in possession of a knife comes at a price. North of the border the cost has been calculated at between 20 million and 80m a year, depending on the length of mandatory sentence.

The arguments will continue, but those who focus on the cost of jailing knife-carriers are missing the main point: by establishing prison time as a clear deterrent we hopefully stop people carrying knives in the first place.

And, anyway, the cost would be worth it if lives were saved.

Chance for change

THE news that Edinburgh council is about to lose three of its more senior officials won't exactly be the talk of the city's pubs and buses.

But the departures are significant. Most obviously, Tom Aitchison has been a strong chief executive at a time when the council's coalition administration had to find its feet while coping with problems such as budget deficits and the trams.

He'll quite rightly be hoping to be remembered for that rather than the election shambles of May 2007.

Looking forward, the council has a unique chance to rethink its entire approach. With Mr Aitchison not leaving until the end of the year, there is time to find a successor who can continue – and indeed accelerate – modernisation.

That person may already work for the council, but top-quality candidates must be sought from outside this, and indeed all, local authorities.

With three large holes to fill, this also would appear to be an ideal time to slim down the entire top tier of management. At a time when the council faces a 90m budget black hole, city residents will expect no less.