Labour leader accuses SNP of being soft on knife crime

Published on Tuesday 11 August 2009 19:11

A LONG-RUNNING political row has been re-ignited by Labour accusations that the SNP is soft on knife crime.

The party's Scottish leader, Iain Gray, has demanded mandatory custodial sentences for anyone caught using a knife and accused the SNP of complacency.

The Scottish Government rejected the charge and insisted it was already taking tough action. A spokeswoman said: "There is no evidence that the one-size-fits-all approach of mandatory sentences is the best way forward – as the (police] Violence Reduction Unit has made clear."

The row broke out after Mr Gray's summer campaign sweep around supermarkets in Scotland took him to Greenock.

Along with local MSP Duncan McNeil and John Muir, who has been campaigning for action since his son Damian was killed in Greenock in 2007, Mr Gray urged shoppers to sign a petition.

Mr Gray said: "The people of Inverclyde are to be congratulated for the support they gave to John Muir.

"The SNP government and justice (secretary] Kenny MacAskill have not done enough with their complacent, soft-touch approach. That is why Labour is calling for mandatory sentences for anyone caught using or carrying a knife."

Mr McNeil added: "The Scottish Government needs to make hard choices and I know what side I'm on – that is the side of the victims."

But the government argued it was doing "more than ever before" on knife crime.

"We've seen jail terms for knife-carrying increase by a third, while the justice secretary has made clear that those who use a knife should expect to go to jail," said the spokeswoman.

Courts have been given powers to impose four-year sentences just for carrying a knife, while the proposed sentencing council could take a "considered" look at knife offences.

The spokeswoman cited other measures taken, and pointed to comments by Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan of the Violence Reduction Unit, who said mandatory sentences did not work.

"Particularly in relation to violence, and to knife crime, there's no way we can arrest our way out of this problem," he said.