Meeting of the Parliament 02 April 2014
I cannot give the member that precisely, but what he will see is that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Alcohol and knives are taken from many of these youngsters and Scotland is a safer place. As the First Minister said in his answer to Mr Rennie last week, stop and search is not just about detecting those who would perpetrate crime and harm other individuals; it is also about protecting those who want to go about their communities safely and do not want to be prisoners in their own home.
We know that those most likely to perpetrate an offence—certainly one with a knife—are young men. We also know that those who are most likely to be victims are young men. I speak to many of them, and they welcome the fact that Scotland is a safer place, and that stop and search plays a role in that. That is why crime is at a 39-year low. That is why the fear of crime is down. That is why people feel safer on our streets and in our communities. The recent Scottish crime and justice survey shows that 72 per cent of people feel safe walking alone after dark. Mr Rennie should compare that with the 66 per cent figure in 2008-09.
The real point is that people welcome this approach. Just last week I was at an event in Greenock, where I spoke to young people about the no knives, better lives campaign. Many of those I spoke to understand that education and prevention tactics combine to make our cities safer. They welcome stop and search.
It is not just me. In January, Jackie Brock, the chief executive of Children in Scotland, said:
“Police Scotland’s track record”
in supporting young people
“means they are well placed to understand how to get young people on board with sensible and fair measures to prevent crime.”
Ross Deuchar, professor of criminology, echoed that. Even the Liberal Democrat justice spokesman in the previous parliamentary session, Robert Brown, acknowledged the important impact of stop and search when he said in 2010:
“The single thing that deters people from criminal behaviour is the likelihood of being caught. The stop and searches that Strathclyde Police has carried out have been effective”—[Official Report, 30 June 2010; c 27865.]
In 2008, the former Tory MSP and Justice Committee convener, Bill Aitken, said:
“If one in 12 searches is positive then that is a crime that has been detected or a knife that has been taken off someone. These searches save lives.”
In response to a knife attack, Bill Aitken said:
“Police must use their stop and search powers.”
I do not know what has changed for the Tories since we have moved from a success rate of one in 12 to a success rate of 20 per cent.
Let me make it clear that the chief constable has a responsibility to ensure that stop and search procedures on our streets, whether founded in a particular piece of legislation or undertaken on a voluntary basis, are used carefully and appropriately. I believe that he does. Police Scotland is making our communities safer, and stop and search is a part of that.
I move amendment S4M-09557.2, to leave out from “Police Scotland” to end and insert:
“stop and search is an operational matter for Police Scotland and is making an important contribution to local policing and the reduction of violent crimes, including a 60% fall in crimes of handling an offensive weapon since 2006-07; welcomes the fact that crime in Scotland is at a 39-year low and officer numbers are more than 1,000 higher than in 2007; recognises that Police Scotland is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority, which is currently undertaking a detailed review of stop and search; further notes that less than 0.01% of all stop and searches have resulted in a complaint since April 2013, and believes that the proportionate use of stop and search makes Scotland’s streets safer and thereby reduces fear of crime.”
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S4M-09557.2 Stop and Search Motion