Russian spy vessel spotted off coast of Scotland as Royal Navy deploys warships

Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed

Scottish Sun

2 hours ago

Scottish Sun

Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed

Statistics have sparked fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DOG-fouling laws have been described as 'all bark, no bite' after a big drop in prosecutions. The collapse has fuelled fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Dog-fouling laws were described as 'all bark, no bite' after a drop in prosecutions Credit: Alamy Latest figures show only one person was nabbed by cops or other agencies in 2021-22 under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. That compares to a high of 86 taken to court in 2013/14 for failing to pick up their pet's poo on streets, parks, paths and footie pitches. Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene, who uncovered the stats, said they were the result of years of underfunding for councils. He hit out: 'Ever since the SNP started slashing budgets, local authorities have been dogged by a poo problem. 'Figures show there are now barely any prosecutions. This will encourage bad owners because they show the law is all bark, no bite. The Scottish Government needs to ensure police and councils are properly resourced to tackle this.' Under the law, culprits can be hit with fines of up to £100. Data also reveals a big drop in anti-social behaviour crimes recorded by cops. Offences plummeted by 46 per cent in the last decade from 320,000 to fewer than 175,000. The largest drop was for enforcing anti-urinating laws, with 11,216 crimes in 2014/15 and 759 in 2023/24. Police Scotland has been accused of abandoning low-level crime due to a lack of officers. In March last year, the force confirmed it won't investigate some cases where there's no CCTV, witnesses, or other obvious leads. Driver opens stranger's car door to stop an emergency & faces charges – she broke little-known law to save a life A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'We have invested a record £1.64billion in policing this year and provided councils with a record £15billion."

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Rhyl Journal

3 hours ago

Rhyl Journal

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow. The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024. His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march. The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow. A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide. Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem. He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today. 'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes. 'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have. 'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?' He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.' He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'. He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case. 'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children. 'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.' The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths. She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media. 'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody. 'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.' The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks. Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5. Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17. A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death. The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. 'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live. 'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.' Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime. 'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop. 'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'

Leader Live

3 hours ago

Leader Live

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow. The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024. His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march. The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow. A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide. Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem. He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today. 'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes. 'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have. 'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?' He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.' He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'. He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case. 'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children. 'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.' The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths. She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media. 'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody. 'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.' The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks. Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5. Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17. A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death. The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. 'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live. 'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.' Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime. 'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop. 'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'

Russian spy vessel spotted off coast of Scotland as Royal Navy deploys warships

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Russian spy vessel spotted off coast of Scotland as Royal Navy deploys warships

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Get Started Now: Download the App