This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Responses to knife crime proposals
17/03/2006
Responses to an Executive consultation to further restrict the sale of knives and swords in Scotland have been published today.
Analysis shows that:
- Just over half the respondents who replied to this question - 57 - were in favour of introducing a licensing scheme for non-domestic knives, with fifty-three against
- Fifty out of 62 respondents were in favour of imposing conditions on the seller, such as restrictions on the display of weapons and a requirement to record details of each sale, should a licensing scheme be introduced
- A small majority of respondents to this question - 61 - were in favour of introducing a licensing scheme for swords, while 49 were against. Fifty-one respondents supported the idea of restricting the sale of swords to approved organisations only, while 56 respondents were against
- Of the 143 respondents who commented on banning the sale of swords, 112 were against, while 18 supported a ban. Respondents both for and against the ban, commented that the inclusion of sword sales in the proposed licensing scheme was a preferable option. Should a ban be introduced, 95 respondents favoured exemptions for groups or individuals with appropriate sporting or cultural reasons for using swords, with nine respondents objecting to any such exemptions
- On the question of banning the sale of samurai swords, 96 respondents were against a ban while 17 were in favour. Should a ban be imposed, 75 out of 87 clear responses favoured exemptions for groups or individuals participating in approved cultural or sports activities
- Asked whether the purchaser of a sword should be required to obtain a special licence, 49 respondents were in favour while 58 were against. The most common response to this question was that licensing should be aimed at the seller rather than the buyer
Tackling Knife Crime - a Consultation, issued in June 2005, set out a range of proposals to tighten the sale of these weapons, including introducing a licensing scheme for the sale of non-domestic knives. It also included options to restrict the availability of swords, including a licensing scheme for sellers, a total ban on the sale of swords (or only samurai swords), or a ban with exemptions for particular groups or individuals.
These proposals are in addition to measures already being taken forward in the police bill to double the maximum sentence for carrying a blade in public, give the police the unconditional power of arrest if they suspect someone of carrying a knife or offensive weapon in public, and raising the age for buying a non-domestic knife from 16 to 18.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"We are determined to crackdown on the knife carrying culture which has cut short and scarred too many young lives, particularly in the West of Scotland. As part of our wide-ranging anti-violence strategy we are already taking forward measures in the police bill to address the carrying of blades. And in partnership with the Violence Reduction Unit have also announced plans for the first national knives amnesty to take place in the spring.
"However, we also want to look very carefully at what further measures can be taken to further restrict the sale of knives and swords to stop these weapons falling into the wrong hands. Those proposals - set out in our consultation of last year - have attracted a wide range of responses from the police, local authorities, business organisations, sports groups and historical societies.
"We are considering those responses in detail and will announce our decision on the way forward later in the spring. In doing so, we will want to ensure that law abiding people in our hard-press communities get the protection they need and deserve from knife and sword wielding thugs so that we can support the police in their efforts to create safer daily lives for the people of Scotland."