Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling violence in Scotland, wherever it occurs. Recorded crime in Scotland is at a 37 year low, violent crime has reduced by 17 percent in the last year and crimes of handling an offensive weapon are their lowest in 18 years.

These reductions have been delivered through a combination of tough enforcement, early intervention and education. I would like to recognise the significant and sustained efforts of our local partners in tackling and preventing violence.

This includes the 17,436 police officers who are working in our communities. This visible police presence is helping to make Scotland a safer place to live – as shown in the recent results of the Scottish Household Survey that over three quarters of adults (78%) say they feel very or fairly safe while walking alone in the neighbourhood after dark, whilst almost all (97%) say they feel safe when they are alone in their home at night.

Our courts are also sending a clear message that violent behaviour will not be tolerated. For example, in terms of tackling knife crime, those who are caught carrying knives are being given longer sentences than ever before. The average length of custodial sentences for carrying an offensive weapon has increased, from 118 days in 2005-06 to 288 days in 2010-11 and is at its highest for a decade. The Lord Advocate’s prosecution guidelines for knife carrying are also sending a clear zero tolerance message. Under these guidelines, anyone caught in Scotland’s town and city centres in possession of a knife will be prosecuted on indictment before a sheriff and jury. This means an increase of the potential maximum prison term for offenders from one to four years.

Furthermore, in March 2011, we published the first National Strategy for CCTV in Scotland. This government believes that CCTV systems can play a crucial role in the prevention, detection and, as recent high profile court cases have shown, the prosecution of crime.

In addition to these enforcement measures, we believe that addressing the root causes of violent behaviour and knife crime is key to preventing violence in the future and making Scotland’s streets safer. That is why we are investing in a range of educational initiatives, including No Knives Better Lives, which are raising awareness of the dangers and consequences of violence amongst young people and supporting them to make positive choices.

We have also invested over £46 million, recovered from the proceeds of crime, into the highly successful CashBack for Communities Programme. CashBack improves self-confidence, self-esteem and provides positive opportunities for the young people who take part, while also supporting those communities worst hit by crime and anti-social behaviour. Since its launch in 2007 more than 600,000 young Scots have participated in a wide range of positive activities in their communities.