A senior Fife councillor has launched an attack on Labour MSP Claire Baker following her call for mandatory minimum jail terms for knife offenders.
SNP councillor David Alexander branded Mrs Baker’s comments on knife crime a “stunt,” and claimed Labour would do anything to “desperately” divert attention from the success of SNP policies on crime.
He also said Labour’s policy on the issue offers no change from the current position.
A spokesman for the MSP hit back however, calling Mr Alexander’s comments a “petty personal attack” that did nothing to protect communities.
The Courier revealed on Monday that Mrs Baker had discovered there were 12 incidents of knife crime in Fife in December alone.
Figures after a Freedom of Information request and confirmed by Fife Police yesterday showed a 15% rise in knife attacks last year and that the number of attacks last December was three times more than during the previous December.
Mrs Baker said the figures were shocking, and added, “The mandatory minimum jail sentence for those caught carrying a knife is the strongest possible deterrent and increases the police’s powers to protect our communities.”
Mr Alexander, who chairs Fife Council’s Levenmouth area committee, said the list MSP’s claim there should be a mandatory minimum jail sentence for knife crime is not, in fact, Labour’s position.Labour policy”Labour’s policy starts off with the six-month sentence, but is then watered down by the clause ‘unless the court is of the opinion that there are exceptional circumstances relating to the offence or to the offender which justify not doing so,'” he said.
“At the moment the courts have the discretion whether to jail someone for knife crime or not. Labour’s motion gives the courts the discretion whether to jail someone for knife crime or not.
“In other words, there would be no change from the current position.”
Mr Alexander pointed out that in Levenmouth crime statistics are “plummeting” and detection rates rising, and added, “Police initiatives are taking the fight to the bad guys better than ever before and much of the success is due to public participation and information sharing.
“No-one is saying there are not issues still to be resolved, but there is no doubt our police are doing a magnificent job with increasing public support.
“People who attempt to undermine their sterling work, people who try to frighten the population for reasons that are purely political open themselves to ridicule and condemnation.”
A spokesman for Claire Baker said, “The scourge of knife crime turns the lives of scores of Fifers upside down. It ruins lives and tears families apart.
“For the SNP to engage in petty personal attacks on this issue is insensitive and does nothing to better protect our communities from such violent crime.”