Police plea over knife sentences

The ASPS said the executive's knife crime proposals fall short

Senior police officers are calling for a mandatory 18 month jail sentence for anyone caught with a knife in Scotland.

The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) said the move was necessary to stamp out the problem of knife crime.

It made the call in a submission to Holyrood's Justice 2 Committee.

The Scottish Executive said its move to double the maximum penalty for carrying a knife in public from two to four years sent out a strong signal.

The proposal is contained in the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill.

Parallels may be drawn with the introduction of mandatory minimum sentencing for drink driving offences, which was seen as a necessary step in influencing driver behaviour in relation to alcohol Peter Murphy ASPS

But the ASPS said the proposal does not go far enough as extending the maximum sentence available to the courts would not ensure an offender was sent to jail.

The association said it wanted to "tie the hands of the justiciary" in order to tackle knife crime effectively.

In written evidence to the committee, the association's research and development officer Peter Murphy said increasing the maximum penalty would have a "limited effect".

"In addition to the amendments proposed, the association suggests a provision be included for mandatory sentencing of 18 months imprisonment for conviction on summary for offensive weapon offences," he said.

"Parallels may be drawn with the introduction of mandatory minimum sentencing for drink driving offences, which was seen as a necessary step in influencing driver behaviour in relation to alcohol.

Mandatory sentences should not be introduced without serious consideration as they can cause extreme hardship by severely punishing the foolish as well as the vicious Kenny MacAskill SNP justice spokesman

"It is felt that such a similar move would contribute substantially in tackling the knife crime culture in Scotland."

Scottish National Party justice spokesman Kenny MacAskill said the vast majority of people convicted of possessing a knife faced a maximum sentence of only six months.

"Mandatory sentences should not be introduced without serious consideration as they can cause extreme hardship by severely punishing the foolish as well as the vicious," he said.

"Precedent in the United States has seen mandatory life sentencing for a third offence result in a life sentence being passed for stealing a slice of pizza.

"However, if we cannot break the knife culture, there may be little alternative to such a measure."