Anyone carrying a knife to face jury

A ZERO tolerance crackdown on people who carry knives will be introduced today.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said anyone caught with a knife in Scotland’s town and city centres will be prosecuted before a sheriff and a jury.

The move allows greater sentencing power for the sheriff and increases the maximum prison term from one to four years.

It follows a successful six-week pilot over the festive period aimed at preventing knife offences and reducing violence.

The crackdown was enforced by police between 12 December last year and 23 January, and demonstrated the value in making the tougher action permanent, COPFS said.

The number of knife offences reported for prosecution during the pilot was down to 212 – a reduction of 18 per cent from the same period the previous year.