4 in 10 gun criminals walk free
Shocking new figures lay bare SNP’s ‘prison-emptying’ agenda
NEARLY four out of ten criminals who have committed a crime in which a firearm was involved have been spared jail.
This includes criminals convicted of robbery with a firearm, and assault and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
In July 2019, the SNP Government introduced a presumption against prison sentences of 12 months and under, which has resulted in a reduction in violent and sexual criminals going to jail.
Last night opposition politicians
SOFT TOUCH JUSTICE
demanded an end to the SNP’s ‘prisonemptying’ agenda, to ensure that criminals who commit dangerous crimes get the punishment they deserve.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘The public will rightly be concerned at these statistics.
‘Criminals with guns are extremely dangerous and you would expect the vast majority of them to end up in jail.
‘But these figures lay bare the SNP’s prison-emptying project, which is designed to allow violent criminals to roam Scotland’s streets.’
According to Scottish Government figures, in 2018-19, 35 out of 57 criminals went to jail for a crime where a firearm was involved, but the proportion fell to 24 out of 38 criminals going to jail in 2019-20, followed by 22 out of 35 in 2020-21.
Overall, this means 81 of 130 criminals were jailed, meaning 38 per cent walked free.
One criminal received a community sentence for robbery with a firearm, seven received a community sentence or other disposal for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or commit a crime, and eight received a community sentence or fine for common assault with a firearm. Last month, more than 300 firearms were surrendered during a gun amnesty by Police Scotland and official figures showed crimes involving firearms have risen in Scotland.
Police Scotland recorded 341 offences allegedly involving firearms in 2019-20 – up 3 per cent from 332 the year before.
The most common offence was possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or commit crime, with 112 such offences in 2019-20 – up from 104.
There was one gun homicide in 2019-20 – down from three the previous year.
Attempted murders involving firearms fell from nine in 2018-19 to seven. Robberies involving firearms increased from 29 in 2018-19 to 39.
Sentencing guidelines mean courts ‘must not pass a sentence of imprisonment for 12 months or less on a person unless it considers that no other sentence is appropriate’.
Commenting on behalf of sheriffs and judges, a spokesman for the Judicial Office for Scotland said: ‘A judge will carefully consider what sentence is most appropriate to help reduce reoffending and protect the public, having regard to relevant sentencing guidelines.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Latest statistics show that crimes involving use of firearms are among the lowest on record in the last 40 years and continue to constitute only a small proportion of all offences.
‘We are taking strong action to tackle violence and are providing partners with over £2million to support innovative violenceprevention activity across Scotland in 2022-23.’