Minutes for Corporate Policy and Performance Committee meeting, Sep 23 2010, 2.00PM official page

“This Council believes that knife crime takes an unacceptable toll on communities across Scotland, including Aberdeen; notes that crimes of handling an offensive weapon across Scotland increased by three per cent between 2007/08 and 2008/09; notes that murders involving knives reached a new high last year, accounting for a record 58 per cent of all murders across Scotland in 2008/09; notes recent estimates that knife crime in Scotland costs the NHS some £500 million every year; notes that the number of beds in NHS Grampian occupied as a result of knife attacks more than doubled last year from 70 in 2006/07 to 149 in 2008/09; notes with that 70 per cent of those convicted of handling an offensive weapon criminals currently do not receive custodial sentence; believe the introduction of a mandatory minimum custodial sentence for handling an offensive weapon would send a clear message that it is never acceptable to carry a knife; supports efforts to introduce such mandatory sentences by Scottish Labour through an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament.”