JOHN Swinney insisted the Tories were wrong to claim that young offenders could not be sent to prison as First Minister’s Questions focused on a spate of recent stabbings across Scotland.
The SNP leader spoke out after being urged to take a “tougher approach” to youth crime in the wake of the death of 16-year-old schoolboy Kayden Moy following an incident at Irvine beach at the weekend.
That came less than 24 hours after a 17-year-old boy was found injured on Edinburgh’s Portobello beach on Friday evening.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said the country has seen a “sickening rise in youth violence”, telling the First Minister that Police Scotland has reported a 600% rise in serious assaults committed by teenagers in the past five years.
Swinney offered his sympathy to the Moy family, saying they are having to come to terms with “tragedy”.
Speaking during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood on Thursday, he was clear “one incident is one incident too many”.
He said early intervention work to prevent violent crime is “vital”, but also stressed young people must be aware they could face custody if caught with a weapon after Findlay claimed that people under 18 could not be sent to prison.
Responding to Findlay’s calls for tougher action, the First Minister said guidelines put in place by the Scottish Sentencing Council “indicate for young people all sentencing options, including imprisonment, remain open to the court”.
He went on to urge people to follow advice issued by Police Scotland on Wednesday, with the SNP leader saying: “Under no circumstances should young people carry knives in our society, it is dangerous, it is damaging, and young people should not do it.”
Findlay accused the Scottish Government of having “systematically weakened the justice system, especially in youth justice”, adding this “inevitably fuels youth violence”.
Hitting out at the SNP, he said: “They seek to make excuses for those who commit harm, and for those who do commit crimes they are told there are no consequences for their actions, which means there is no longer any meaningful deterrent.”
He branded this as “misguided thinking”, adding: “Surely John Swinney can see it’s not working and it is time to take a tougher approach?”
Swinney insisted there is “firmness in the justice system where incidents take place”, telling the Tory MSP it “remains open to prosecutors to prosecute a young person if they have committed a serious offence” rather than using alternatives to court.
The First Minister said: “Our sustained focus on prevention and early intervention is a core part of our strategy. But there is also steps that can be taken in the criminal justice system to bring people to justice.”
He went on to tell MSPs that in the past 15 years, there has been a “sustained fall” in knife crime in Scotland, adding that since 2008-09 there has been a 69% decrease in emergency hospital admissions because of an assault involving a sharp object.
“That is us tackling knife crime in our society,” the First Minister said.
“So that prevent work is having an effect, Scotland is a safer country today than it has been in the past.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also challenged the First Minister on the issue, as he highlighted reductions in police numbers.
He told MSPs: “Since the SNP created Police Scotland, we have lost 800 officers. Since 2017, the SNP has cut 730 officers from local divisions and shut countless local police stations.
“Now we’re hearing horrifying reports of children, primary school children, being caught carrying knives.”
Going on to accuse the Scottish Government of having “decimated youth work services”, Sarwar said: “Isn’t what we’re seeing now a direct consequence of SNP decisions and SNP failures?”
The First Minister responded: “I totally understand the points that Mr Sarwar is putting to me, and I come back to my point that one incident is absolutely unacceptable and devastating, so I don’t diminish that at all.
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“But, overall, Scottish society is safer today than it was before we created Police Scotland, that is the outcome that has been achieved as a consequence of the reform the Government put in place to create a single police service.”
A 17-year-old youth made no plea when he appeared in court on Tuesday charged with Moy’s murder, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and carrying an offensive weapon. A second 17-year-old has also been arrested in connection with the death.
A 16-year-old youth appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday accused of attempted murder and having a bladed item in a public place following an alleged stabbing at Portobello beach on Friday evening.
A 17-year-old was found injured following a disturbance at the beach and was taken to hospital. The 16-year-old made no plea during his private court appearance.
