Longer jail term for knife-carrying

Nov 26 2012

The maximum jail sentence for carrying a knife will be increased from four to five years, the Justice Secretary has announced.

Kenny MacAskill said the change would be brought in through legislation which will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament next year.

The amendments will be brought in at the earliest opportunity through the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill.

Mr MacAskill said: "The message I'd send out today is that knives cost lives, the consequences can be devastating and carrying a knife is just not worth the risk.

"Our police forces are carrying out a record number of stop and searches on the streets, and being caught with a knife could now land you a five-year prison sentence."

He added: "The statistics are moving in the right direction and show our approach is working - violent crime is at a 30-year low, there are 44% fewer weapons on the streets since 2006/07 and recorded crimes and offences committed by young people are down by 37% since 2007/08.

"Education, early intervention and prevention have been vital in helping to achieve these results."

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, co-director of the violence reduction unit in Glasgow, said: "We welcome any legislation which helps reduce knife crime.

"Prevention is undoubtedly better than cure when it comes to violence - we need to try and stop the drama before it becomes a crisis, help people understand that carrying weapons and using violence to resolve conflict is wrong long before the police, the courts, the justice system have to get involved."

The Scottish Government also plans to make amendments to legislation to clarify the powers of the courts to impose a consecutive sentence for people who are released from prison but commit another crime before their original sentence has ended.