Government must go further than Campaigns on Knife Crime

2 IN 3 KNIFE CRIMINALS WOULD GO FREE UNDER SNP’S ‘SOFT-TOUCH’ PLANS

WENDY ALEXANDER – Campaigns are not enough action on knife crime
Following Kelly McGee’s powerful pleas in the Paisley Daily Express, and visit to Parliament this week to promote mandatory sentences for knife crime, Wendy Alexander threw her weight behind Kelly’s campaign. Wendy added her view to calls for the Scottish Government to back mandatory minimum sentences for knife crime.

The call in the PDE for tougher sentences came on the very day the Scottish Government rolled out a new phase of the anti-knife crime campaign aiming to raise awareness among young people of the dangers of knife crime.

However Wendy pointed out that, official figures show that two thirds of knife criminals would dodge jail altogether under Scottish Government plans in the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill currently before the Parliament.

Wendy said:

“I welcome all campaigns against knife crime. But the time has come to do more than run campaigns and raise awareness, as the tragedy of Paul McGee highlights, we must go further on enforcement too.

“Knife crime continues to blight  Renfrewshire. We need to send a clear message – carry a knife and go to jail.”

“It is time for Kenny MacAskill to stop talking tough on knife crime and get tough. If the Justice Secretary is serious about tackling knife crime he should support Labour’s proposal for a mandatory minimum sentence for knife crime. The reality is his soft-touch sentencing plans would see two thirds of all knife criminals go free.”