By Lucy Ashton
The SNP have been accused of “letting down victims” as it has emerged that they are owed £155,000 by criminals.
Official figures highlight the arrears offenders have been allowed to build up since the introduction of the Victim Surcharge Fund in November 2019 – as well as ministers’ broken promises.
The SNP claimed that the fund would pay out £1million a year when it was launched in November 2019. But it has only generated £1.1m in total.
Shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay accused the nationalists of overpromising and underdelivering, and insisted they must finally start supporting victims and holding criminals to account.
Russell Findlay MSP, left, said: “The VSF was established to provide much-needed financial compensation for victims but these significant arrears show that criminals are getting away without paying.
“In addition, the SNP promised that it would generate £1 million each year. The reality is just a fraction of that.
“This scheme is just the latest example of the SNP letting down crime victims.
“That is typical of the SNP consistently over-promising and under-delivering, but also of their weak justice system that is stacked in favour of criminals and neglects victims.
“That must change – and SNP ministers should start by ensuring criminals pay their fines on time and that the VSF finally delivers what was promised.”
Criminals have failed to pay back £155,000 worth of Victim Surcharge fines. The value of Victim Surcharges which are in arrears total £155,000 since the scheme was introduced in November 2019. (Quarter fines report 58, 23 November 2023, Victim Surcharge Table, link).
Criminals have only paid £1.1 million worth of Victim Surcharge fines in nearly four years – despite the SNP promising £1 million would be delivered every single year. The total value of Victim Surcharge fines paid to date is £1.153 million since November 2019. The SNP manifesto in 2016 promised they would be ‘establishing a Scottish Victims Surcharge Fund, paid for by offenders, which will provide more than a million pounds a year of funding for practical help for victims of crime.’ (Quarter fines report 58, 23 November 2023, Victim Surcharge Table, link; SNP Manifesto 2016, 20 April 2016, link).