The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service today published the Standards and Services for Victims and Witnesses Annual Report on Performance for 2018-2019 (Available to read here. Word doc, 2.4MB).

Commenting on the report, Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf said:

 

“To this end, last year we launched the Victims Taskforce, bringing together senior decision-makers from justice agencies and the voluntary sector, including those who directly represent victims. The Taskforce is working to make sure the voices of victims are heard, and that their experiences with the justice system improve. 

Justice Secretary Comments on Standards of Services for Victims and Witnesses Annual Report 2018/19 appeared first on Justice and Safety.

The Scottish Government has today published official statistics on recorded crimes and offences involving firearms for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

The statistics show that in 2017-18 police in Scotland recorded 348 offences in which a firearm was alleged to have been involved, a decrease of 1% from 2016-17 (350 offences) and 13% from 2015-16 (402 offences).

The statistics also show that the number of firearm offences last year was the lowest on record since current data collection began in 1980.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf said:

“These figures show we are continuing to make progress in tackling firearms misuse with offences now at their lowest level for any single year since 1980.

“While firearms offences are rare, we know that just one such incident can have a devastating impact on victims and the wider community, so we are determined to continue working with our partners to reduce these numbers.

“Having successfully lobbied to have the relevant powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament, we are the only part of Great Britain to licence air weapons – ensuring that only those with a legitimate need have lawful access to them.

“Since our licensing legislation was passed in 2015-16 offences involving an air weapon have fallen by a third. This is testament to the hard work of Police Scotland, and partners, in introducing the new licensing regime.”

Today @Scotgov has published stats on recorded crimes and offences involving firearms for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

They show that the number of firearm offences last year was the lowest on record since current data collection began in 1980. 📉

Read more ➡️https://t.co/jUVeMchcPU pic.twitter.com/D9qxm8ICQ7

— ScotGov Justice (@ScotGovJustice) April 23, 2019

 

Background

Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 2016-17 & 2017-18

The post Justice Secretary comments on firearms statistics appeared first on Justice and Safety.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf visited Glasgow East Women’s Aid this morning (25 March 2019) to hear how staff are preparing for the Domestic Abuse Act coming into force in seven days.

The Act creates a new offence of domestic abuse which covers psychological harm as well as physical harm. It is also the first piece of legislation in the UK to contain a specific statutory sentencing aggravation to reflect the harm that can be caused to children growing up in an environment where domestic abuse takes place.

The First Minister and Mr Yousaf met survivors of domestic abuse who have been helped by Glasgow East Women’s Aid, and saw training materials that have been developed by the service with £166,000 of Scottish Government funding.

The First Minister said:

“Scotland is leading the way with this new legislation. It will be a landmark moment in our efforts to tackle domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, and will strengthen the power of police and prosecutors.

Coercive and controlling behaviour can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on survivors. It is a form of abuse that is often hidden, but can rob victims of their confidence, self-esteem and safety. Organisations like Scottish Women’s Aid do vital work supporting victims, and the new training materials they’ve developed will help them provide even more support to victims of all forms of domestic abuse.”

Mr Yousaf said:

“I appreciate the efforts that our justice system partners and third sector organisations have been undertaking to prepare for this change in the law, including development of appropriate training to raise awareness across the justice sector about what qualifies as coercive and controlling behaviour and the different forms this behaviour can take.

“With one week to go until this change in the law, I want to be clear that this behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. We will continue to take steps to safeguard those who are at risk and to prosecute those who engage in abusive behaviour.”

Dr Marsha Scott, Chief Executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said:

“What an opportunity stands in front of us as our new ‘world’s gold standard’ law goes into effect. Women and children have been telling us for 40 years that it is the emotional abuse and controlling behaviours of domestic abuse that have the most traumatic effect, that trap them in dangerous relationships with abusive partners and ex-partners. Now these behaviours will be crimes in Scotland, and how well we police and prosecute them will say much about our commitment to ending domestic abuse.

“We have now honed our training materials about coercive control with each of the 36 Women’s Aid services across Scotland. The materials and the trainers are now available to violence against women partnerships, community planning partnerships, multi-agency risk assessment conferences, and other multi-agency bodies that are keen to learn about the new law.”

The post One week to go until new domestic abuse law comes into force appeared first on Justice and Safety.

Do you hold a Personal Licence to sell alcohol in Scotland?

If  your licence was issued on or before 1 Sep 2009 you need to renew it now.

The absolute deadline for renewals is 31 May 2019.

If you miss this deadline and your licence expires you could lose the right to sell alcohol on your premises.

What do I need to do to renew?

You need to contact your local licensing board as soon as possible to start the renewal process.

Licensing boards will be dealing with a high volume of applications so we recommend that you apply as soon as possible ahead of the 31 May 2019 deadline.

Why do I need a Personal Licence?

When selling alcohol on licensed premises, the sale must be authorised generally or specifically by a Personal Licence Holder.

The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came into full effect in September 2009.  As such, Personal Licence Holders who first obtained their licence at the introduction of the existing regime need to renew their personal licence for the first time.

How do I find my local licensing board?

Click on your local authority area below to find out more and start the renewal process:

Aberdeen City

Aberdeenshire

Angus

Argyll & Bute

Clackmannanshire

Dumfries & Galloway

Dundee

East Ayrshire

East Lothian

Edinburgh

Eilean Siar

Falkirk

Fife

Highland

Inverclyde

Midlothian

Moray

North Ayrshire

North Lanarkshire

Orkney

Perth & Kinross

Renfrewshire

Scottish Borders

Shetland Isles

South Ayrshire

South Lanarkshire

Stirling

West Lothian

The post Personal Licence Renewals appeared first on Justice and Safety.

Justice Secretary briefed on Police Scotland’s EU exit preparations.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf has been updated by senior Police Scotland officers today on how the service is getting ready to deal with the implications of an EU exit.

The Cabinet Secretary visited the Brexit Coordination Centre at Bilston Glen, Midlothian, to hear about its role in supporting emergency and other essential services to sustain critical operations and keep vulnerable communities and the wider public safe.

Speaking after meeting staff and Police Scotland’s EU Exit Tactical Commander ACC Steve Johnson, Mr Yousaf said:

“The Scottish Government is intensifying its preparations for all EU exit possibilities in order to protect Scotland’s economy, businesses and workers. While we are doing everything we can to prepare, we will not be able to mitigate all of the impacts of a ‘no deal’ exit on Scotland.

“The Chief Constable has been clear that Police Scotland will be ready to respond to any civil contingency issues arising from EU exit, including the policing of the country’s ports and borders, and possible protests and civil unrest.

“The Brexit Coordination Centre will be central to managing those priorities and the wider resilience response across local authorities, emergency services and other public sector bodies – ensuring Scotland stands ready to deal with the implications of leaving the EU.

“Decisions around officer deployment and contingency planning are of course operational decisions for the Chief Constable. I welcome his decision to put 360 officers on standby from today for EU exit-related incidents as a prudent, sensible approach to contingency planning to ensure Police Scotland remains well-placed to keep people safe.”

ACC Johnson said:

“Our number one priority is protecting the people of Scotland and we have been preparing for the operational impact of Britain’s exit from the European Union for many months now.

“We have detailed plans in place to address all the potential challenges, including a ‘no deal’ Brexit, which could lead to delays at borders and ports and to political protest. Part of our planning has ensured that we have sufficient officer availability during critical periods.

“The Brexit Coordination Centre allows us to work closely with all relevant multi-agency partners to address any civil contingency matters which may arise. Working with these partners, we are ready to respond to emergencies to ensure the safety of the public during an unprecedented set of circumstances which will challenge policing in the months ahead.”

Background

The Brexit Co-ordination Centre consists of four elements: a National Multi-Agency Co-ordination Centre (MACC), a Police Operations & Co-ordination Centre (POCC), Public Order Command hub and an Information Co-ordination Hub.

The post Brexit contingency planning stepped up appeared first on Justice and Safety.