More than a third of criminals with guns avoid jail

Jamie Greene

This includes criminals convicted of robbery with a firearm, assault and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

In July 2019, the Scottish government introduced a presumption against prison sentences of 12 months and under, which has resulted in a reduction of criminals going to jail.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for an end to the SNP’s “prison-emptying agenda”, to ensure that criminals who commit dangerous crimes such as those involving firearms “get the punishment they deserve”.

Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for justice Jamie Greene MSP said: “The public will rightly be concerned at these startling statistics. Criminals with guns are extremely dangerous and you would expect the vast majority of them to end up in jail, especially when violence is involved.

“But these figures lay bare the SNP’s prison-emptying project which is designed to allow an ever-increasing number of violent criminals to roam Scotland’s streets.

“Violent crime has risen to its highest level since Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister, yet she continues to take her eye off the ball by focusing on her plans for a divisive independence referendum rather than keeping our streets safe.

“The SNP needs to start putting public safety front and centre of their work. They could start by ending their soft-touch approach to violent crime and finally getting tough on these dangerous criminals.”