Tories to demand change to ‘soft-touch’ justice approach

The Scottish Government is to be urged to change its “soft-touch” approach to justice in a debate led by the Scottish Tories.

The party will lead the discussion on Wednesday, in which it will call on the Government to adapt its strategy and “put the victims of crime first” by backing its proposed Victims Bill.

The Tories say the Scottish Government has “underfunded” Police Scotland with a real-terms capital funding cut in the latest budget, and suggested criminals are being “kept out of prison” through automatic releases.

The party said the Government is set to “water down justice” through plans for reform including the release of prisoners who have served one third of their sentence.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, Jamie Greene, said: “The SNP Government has spent the last 15 years eroding our justice system with its soft-touch policies – and now, more than ever, people are feeling the consequences.

“Violent crime in Scotland has reached its highest level in a decade, the human cost of which is being felt by thousands of victims who have been let down by SNP broken promises.

“Instead of standing up for the victims of crime, the SNP Government would rather ensure that criminals are either kept out of prison completely or automatically released having served just a fraction of their sentence.

“While criminals are wrapped in cotton wool, victims are having to wait years for justice as they are passed through Scotland’s shamefully backlogged court system.

“Victims should never be treated like an afterthought in our justice system but that’s the reality under the SNP. The Scottish Conservatives would ensure that criminals are always properly punished, as well as putting victims’ needs first with our Victims Bill.”