8 JULY 2010
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
LABOUR CHALLENGES MINISTER ON SCRAPPING SHORT SENTENCES DURING VISIT TO REGION

MINISTER ADMITS COST SAVING SOLE MOTIVATION FOR SCRAPPING SENTENCES

Local Labour politicians have said that it is galling that the Minister for Community Safety, Fergus Ewing, is visiting Dumfries and Galloway today (Thursday 8 July) only a week after he scrapped short prison sentences and rejected calls to get tough on knife crime.

Labour politicians are demanding that the Minister use his visit to explain to local people why the SNP have risked their safety by sending out a message to criminals that the Government is soft on crime.

Instead, during a meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Police, Fire and Rescue Committee, the Minister simply said that the Government could not afford to continue sending criminals to prison.

Cllr Ronnie Ogilvie, Labour’s Police and Fire Spokesman, said: “It is galling that only a week after the SNP pushed through these irresponsible measures the Minister shows his face in our region without even having the decency to address our concerns.

“Local people have very real concerns about the SNP’s decision to scrap these prison sentences.

“At the committee he admitted that the scrapping the short sentences was solely due to cost. To put cost above public safety is neglecting his duties as a Minister.”

Elaine Murray MSP said: “The SNP recklessly put people’s safety at risk by scrapping short sentences and rejecting our calls to get tough on knife crime.

“It sends out a message that the Government is soft on crime. To try and argue that short sentences have no merit is a gross trivialisation of these crimes. Short sentences are used for offences that wreck peoples’ lives and their scrapping means knife criminals, muggers and even sex offenders will avoid prison.

“The SNP had an opportunity to get tough on knife crime by making it mandatory for someone caught carrying a knife to go to jail. Thousands of knife crime victims petitioned the Government but they weren’t listened to.”

Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown added: “Short prison sentences play a crucial role in our criminal justice system and the SNP’s decision to scrap them shows yet again that the SNP are soft on crime.

“This comes on the back of figures showing that while police numbers may be rising across Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway was the only force in which they declined. Once again we are the forgotten region.

“The Minister cannot visit this region without answering local people’s concerns about his Government’s attitude to tackling crime. “
 
ENDS
 
CONTACT - ANDREW MACKENZIE 07769206856
 
NOTES TO EDITORS
 
Minister for Community Safety, Fergus Ewing, spoke at a meeting of the Police, Fire and Rescue Committee on Thursday 8 July.