Committee
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 20 December 2023
20 Dec 2023 · S6 · Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Motorcycle Theft (PE1971)
I think that we should close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that Police Scotland has a comprehensive standard operating procedure in relation to vehicle pursuit and remains committed to tackling the theft and reckless use of motorcycles, with road policing and locally based initiative teams and response, community and criminal investigation department officers continuing their efforts to identify offenders, prevent and deter further incidents, and engage with communities. In addition, the Scottish Government has previously stated that judges are best placed to decide on the appropriate sentence for each offender and considers that mandatory sentencing removes discretion from the courts. Finally, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is not aware of any evidence that cases involving the theft of a motorcycle are taking any longer to prosecute than other cases.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Con
That brings us to petition PE1971, which calls for robust action to stop motorcycle theft. The petition, which was lodged by Kenneth Clayton on behalf of the...
Maurice Golden
Con
I think that we should close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that Police Scotland has a comprehensive standard operating proced...
The Convener
Con
Mr Ewing, do you have a suggestion?
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I support Mr Golden’s suggestion to close the petition. However, it would be remiss not to add that the response that we have had from the Scottish Courts an...
The Convener
Con
I would like to endorse those comments. As I said, it was a comprehensive response, which was greatly appreciated by the committee. Colleagues, are we conte...
The Convener
Con
We thank the petitioner very much. We have received that comprehensive response and, given those circumstances, the committee will close the petition.