Tories blast ‘soft-touch justice’ as offences rise
The number of racially aggravated crimes in Scotland have dropped by more than a quarter since 2010 but recent figures show a“worrying” growth in offences last year, it can be revealed.
New analysis, undertaken by the Jpimedia Data Unit, show the overall number of charges issued by the Crown Office has dropped from more than 4,100 in 2010 -11 to slightly more than 3,000 last year.
In England and Wales, the figures have gone in the opposite direction with 76,000 racist offences committed in 2019-20, a rise of 112 per cent compared to 2010-11.
In Scotland, charges relating to a racially aggravated crime during 201920 are up by 4 per cent on 2018-19’s figures.
The Scottish Conservatives criticised the up wards growth in the year-on-year figures in Scotland on a “soft touch” approach from the Scottish government and said the forthcoming Hate Crime Bill would lead to people losing faith in the system.
The party’ s justice spokesperson Liam Kerr said it was“worrying” to see the increase and called on offenders to be treated “severely".
He added: “Perhaps if the S NP didn’ t pre side over such a soft-touch justice system, criminals would be more reluctant to embark on such behaviour.”
A spokesperson for justice secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The Tories are all over the place on this issue. One minute they are accusing us of having a soft-touch justice system, and the next they are criticising us for cre - a ting tough new offences which are specifically designed to crack down on unacceptable behaviour.”