Richard Baker

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the success of Operation Cougar in tackling gang culture in Manchester, as reported by the Home Office on 29 January 2009, what aspects of this initiative the Scottish Government considers could be replicated in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20367 on 18 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/App…

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of Operation Cougar in tackling gang culture in Manchester, as reported by the Home Office on 29 January 2009.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government welcomes the efforts taken by others to tackle gang violence and is interested in any initiative that has a positive impact. We are therefore looking carefully at Operation Cougar and will consider what action, if any, could be replica…

30 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the recommendations of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) on the roles and responsibilities of police forces as set out in HMICS’s Independent review of policing in Scotland.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I am grateful to Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) for the Independent Review of Policing in Scotland report. The issues it raises are challenging and complex. The Scottish Government will work closely with key partners and stak…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that a problem exists in relation to knife crime, young people and the withholding of evidence and, if so, what action it is taking to tackle the problem.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Whilst the circumstances of each individual case can be unique, neither the Scottish Government, nor the police, consider this to be a problem.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage witnesses of knife crime to come forward with evidence, particularly among young people.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As the circumstances of each case can be unique the police use a range of tactics that suit the circumstances in order to encourage witnesses to come forward with evidence. In all cases, the Crimestoppers phoneline has an important contribution to make, and t…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any successful current initiatives in schools that are helping to reduce the carrying of knives and knife crime among young people.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is aware of a range of resources and curricular programmes currently available in schools aimed to help reduce the carrying of knives and knife crime among young people.</p> <p >The national Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) - funded by t…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to educate parents about the dangers of knife crime and access to knives.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Parents and carers have a vitally important role in preventing children becoming involved in a gang or carrying a knife and we are committed to supporting their efforts. We provide Parentline Scotland with over £100,000 per annum to provide a free and confide…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to curb the supply of knives to young people.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is pursuing a number of measures to curb the supply of knives to young people.</p> <p >The Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007 has given ministers the power to introduce a licensing scheme for knife dealers. As part of…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offensive weapons were surrendered voluntarily at police stations in the last year, broken down by (a) type of weapon and (b) police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of offensive weapons surrendered voluntarily at police stations is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign show that the …

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many knives were surrendered voluntarily at police stations in the last year, broken down by police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of knives surrendered voluntarily at police stations is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign show that the campaign pr…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offensive weapons were seized by the police as a result of stop and searches in the last year, broken down by (a) type of weapon and (b) police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of offensive weapons seized by the police as a result of stop and searches is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign sho…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many knives were seized by the police as a result of stop and searches in the last year, broken down by police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of knives seized by the police as a result of stop and searches is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign show that the …

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many knives were seized by the police in the last year, broken down by police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of knives seized by the police is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign show that the campaign proved a success in targ…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many stop and searches were conducted by police officers in the last year, broken down by police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of stop and searches conducted by police officers is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces. However, statistics collected on the year long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign show that the campaign prove…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is offering police forces in relation to the conduct of test purchases of knives.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The decision to undertake test purchases, whether as a co-ordinated initiative or in response to specific intelligence, is an operational matter for police forces.</p>

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidance to police forces on test purchases of knives in the last year.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Guidance is available in <i>A</i> <i>Practical Guide to Test Purchasing in Scotland</i><b> </b>which can be accessed on the Scottish Government website. This guidance, which draws on the experiences gained from the Scottish test purchasing pilots on tobacco a…

29 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many test purchases of knives were conducted in the last year, broken down by police force.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of test purchases of knives is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces and relevant agencies.</p>

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners it estimates to (a) have or (b) have had a substance misuse problem.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Sixty-four percent of prisoners tested positive for illegal drugs on entry into prison during 2007-08 addiction prevalence testing. 49% of…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners represents those assessed as having a substance misuse problem at point of admission in 2007-08, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Prisoners are not assessed at the point of admission.</p> <p >Following admission into custody, an Integrated Case Management (ICM) proce…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19588 by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2009, how many offenders were (a) assessed as suitable for and (b) completed each of the prisoner programmes and approved activities that address substance misuse in 2007-08, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >A total of 1,061 substance related programmes or approved activities were completed in Scottish prisons during 2007-08. This was 181 compl…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19592 by Kenny MacAskill on 19 January 2009, how many prisoners were assessed as suitable for approved activity Alcohol Awareness in 2007-08.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Alcohol-related issues may surface during induction interviews. Providing the prisoner is prepared to engage he/she will be referred for p…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, how many prisoners were assessed as suitable for the Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme in 2007-08, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme (SROBP) was piloted during 2007-08 at two sites, HM Prisons Aberdeen and Shotts.</p> …

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18896 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 January 2009, how many prisoners benefited from the Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme in 2007-08, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >A total of 16 prisoners completed the Substance Related Offending Behaviour Programme (SROBP) in 2007-08, eight completed the programme in…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of offences was linked to alcohol misuse in 2007-08, broken down by category of offence.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Data available for crimes/offences related to alcohol is where the involvement of alcohol is implicit in the offence, such as drunkenness, drunk driving etc, contravention of liquor licensing laws, offences by licensed persons and consumption of alcohol in de…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of offences was committed when the offender was under the influence of alcohol in 2007-08, broken down by category of offence.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the number of offences committed when the offender was under the influence of alcohol is not held centrally.</p> <p >Data available for crimes/offences related to alcohol is where the involvement of alcohol is implicit in the offence, such as …

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners it estimates to (a) have or (b) have had an alcohol problem.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The 2008 prisoner survey indicates that 49% of prisoners responding say that they were drunk at the time of their offence.</p>

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prisoners represents those assessed as having an alcohol problem at point of admission in 2007-08, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Prisoners are not assessed at the point of admission.</p> <p >Following admission into custody, an Integrated Case Management (ICM) proce…

20 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the approximate cost is of purchasing a single head or body-mounted camera for use by the police.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The head and body camera systems being piloted by Scottish police forces have a cost of approximately £600 to £700 per unit.</p>

20 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to provide additional funding to assist in the roll-out of head or body-mounted cameras to all police forces.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is awaiting with interest the evaluation of the pilot schemes currently taking place within Scottish forces. If the pilots are successful, the Scottish Government will consider, with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland…

20 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the use of head or body-mounted cameras by the police has the potential to act as a preventative tool in reducing the incidence of crime.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is awaiting with interest the evaluation of the pilot schemes currently taking place within Scottish forces, and is also aware of the pilot carried out in Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. It is too early to say if the use of such equip…