Knife law bid nears Holyrood D-Day
Russell Steele • Published 24 Mar 2010 14:00
A DECISION on whether knife carriers should get mandatory jail sentences is set to be made by the end of June.
The parliamentary amendment tabled by Labour - which could bring in the automatic terms - cleared another crucial hurdle yesterday at the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee, paving the way for it to progress to a vote in front of all MSPs in the summer.
Inverkip anti-blade campaigner John Muir appeared in front of the influential committee after being called to give evidence during the session - and said he was delighted with the debate.
Mr Muir said: "The committee also invited David Strang, the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, to give the counter view to mine, but I really felt I emerged out of it a lot better than he did.
"I feel the points which I made outweighed his quite considerably and was told at the end I'd come across very powerfully.
"The day went very well and now everything moves forward another step."
Before giving evidence, Mr Muir met MSP Duncan McNeil for talks and he also presented Labour leader Iain Gray and justice spokesman MSP Richard Baker with two of the Greenock Telegraph's Stop Knives Save Lives car stickers.
The stickers, sponsored by local firms Crawfurd Car Centre, Golden Casket and Wilson's Coaches, urge people to anonymously report knife carrying to Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 hotline - and Mr Gray and Mr Baker were happy to back our initiative.
Duncan McNeil said: "John Muir's story is a powerful one which is all too familiar to hundreds of families all over Scotland so it is only right his experiences were taken into account by the justice committee."
Port Glasgow MSP Trish Godman added: "I was delighted to join John at the committee and give my support.
"The committee members got a strong sense of the ongoing efforts in Inverclyde, particularly the commitment the Greenock Telegraph has given to the anti-knife crime campaign."
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 24 Mar 10
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