by Bill Heaney
MSP Jackie Baillie has pledged that a Scottish Labour government will tackle rising violence on Scotland’s streets by getting tough on the sale of knives.
The Dumbarton politician backed her party’s promise to young people.
If Scottish Labour is elected to national government at the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections, party leaders have pledged to support young people.
New measures set to be introduced will include tackling youth violence and mental health.
As part of that, tough new measures will surround the sale of some types of knives.
The move comes partly in response to a series of murders of young men in Scotland last year, who were victims of knife crime.
A petition launched by the mother of one of the young victims and calling for all major supermarkets and retailers to take steps to enhance safety surrounding the sales of bladed implements, has gathered over 51,000 signatures.
The nation implemented tough measures to tackle knife crime during the 1990s, including a zero-tolerance approach to anyone armed with the weapons.
“Knife crime is truly a scourge on our society, but we have been here before in Scotland and successfully tackled it with tough measures in the past.
“We have now returned to a time where we too often hear about young people being fatally stabbed, including those still in their mid-teens, with lives ruined as a result.
“Scottish Labour is determined to put an end to this cycle of violence and tackle knife crime.
“Scottish Labour has committed to tough new regulations around the sale of kitchen knives in supermarkets and major retailers.
“That will include a provision that all knives must be kept in locked cabinets, or behind customer service counters, before they can be purchased.
“Scottish Labour will also ensure that security tags are mandatory for all knife packaging and will carry out a review around the current exceptions in place for the sale of domestic knives in Scotland to under-18s.
“New safety measures around the sale of knives are important, timely, and are worthy of implementation by a Scottish Labour government.”
A zero tolerance approach to rising knife crime, introduced in the early 2000s, saw anyone found carrying a knife in Scotland face prosecution and a potential maximum four year jail term.