by Bill Heaney
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today challenged the First Minister on a sharp rise in sexual crime, as he called on the Scottish Government to end their delays to the implementation of key domestic abuse protections.
New figures released this week show that between 2024/25 and 2025/26, sexual crimes increased to their highest level since 1971.
Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly criticised the delayed implementation of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021.
These delays mean that domestic abuse protection notices and domestic abuse protection orders have still not been rolled out.
These would give the police and sheriff powers to remove a domestic abuse perpetrator from the home of any person at risk.
The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre has warned that this delay means victims and their children “remain at serious risk of further abuse and harm”.
“Crimes of dishonesty were up by 7,000. Of course, one of those has dominated the front pages this week.
“But while everyone is focused on Scotland’s prison population growing by one in recent days, I want to ask about those leaving our jails.
“All told, over 1,400 inmates have been let out since the early release scheme began because our prisons are bursting at the seams. But that isn’t a strategy, nor will it protect the public.
“So, can I ask the First Minister how many of those who were released early went on to re-offend? And how many of them are already back behind bars?”
He added: “For as long as we don’t have a proper strategy around prison capacity, rehabilitation, and clearing down the court backlog, early release will be a revolving door of people going in and out, and back into our prisons. Our justice system is in crisis.
“So, we need that strategy, and Lib Dems will, of course, play our part in that. But we also need to use the tools that we have right now.
“Presiding Officer, sexual crime is the highest it’s been since 1971. Rape Crisis describes that as ‘shameful and sharp’.
“Many of those assaults will have been committed by a partner. Yet the domestic abuse protections that this parliament agreed to five years ago are still not in place.
“So, can I ask the First Minister, when will his government stop dragging its feet, act on the will of parliament and restore the public’s faith in our broken justice system?”
You can find the latest figures on sexual crime here
Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021 is not yet in force and the Scottish Government have not confirmed when they will come into effect.
It contains provision for two new legal measures, designed to give emergency protection to domestic abuse victims: domestic abuse protection notices and domestic abuse protection orders.
Both the notice and the order could be issued immediately following a domestic abuse incident. The notice would enable the police to require a perpetrator to leave a victim’s home, while the order would give a sheriff the power to impose certain requirements or prohibitions against a perpetrator.
- You can find the submission from the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on the delayed implementation of Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act here