Catch up with the latest news.
Scottish Government announces new human trafficking measures
The Scottish Government has announced that it is to introduce a statutory human trafficking criminal aggravation. This will mean that existing criminal offences will be able to be ‘aggravated’ in future if it can be proved that the underlying offence was committed in connection with human trafficking. The move is… Read more ...Human trafficking gangs targeted by UK government
Gangs that lure victims to the UK and then exploit them for sex, labour and domestic slavery are being targeted following action by the government. A report published by the inter-departmental ministerial group (IDMG) on human trafficking shows that more work than ever before is being carried out both in… Read more ...Home Secretary blocks extradition to US
The Home Secretary has announced that Gary McKinnon will not face extradition to the US. He has been charged with hacking into US Pentagon and NASA computer systems between 1999 and 2002. He has Asperger’s syndrome and human rights organisation Liberty and his lawyers have long argued that – as… Read more ...Rollout of witness text reminder programme
A new scheme to text witnesses to remind them to attend court has been rolled out across Scotland by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, following a successful pilot of the scheme at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The programme aims to improve communication with witnesses, and avoid adjournments of criminal… Read more ...Criminal justice opt-out – call for consultation
The Law Societies of Scotland, England and Wales and of Northern Ireland have issued a call for a full and open consultation on whether the UK should opt-out of over 130 EU criminal justice measures, including the European Arrest Warrant. This follows a statement earlier in the month by the Prime Minister… Read more ...Liberty seeks to intervene in Babar Ahmad extradition
Human Rights organisation Liberty is seeking to intervene in the High Court in proceedings against the Government and Director for Public Prosecutions for not allowing Babar Ahmad (accused of setting up terrorist fundraising websites and detained for eight years without charge) to be prosecuted in the UK. The authorities will… Read more ...Research finds support for tagging criminals
Recent research has found that the majority of people support tagging criminals. Three quarters of the public (72%) support tagging prisoners out on parole until the end of their sentence, while nearly two thirds (64%) support the use of ankle tags for those serving a community sentence. The report, Future… Read more ...Reconviction rates in Scotland
Scotland's Chief Statistician has published details on reconviction rates in Scotland for the 2009-10 offender cohort. Key findings of the data include: The one year reconviction rate has declined over the past eight years by 2.8% between the 2002-03 and 2009-10 cohorts. The one year reconviction rate and the… Read more ...Satellite tracking of offenders
Cutting edge satellite technology is to be brought to Scotland to track offenders for the first time following the signing of a new contract, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced. The Justice Secretary said the award of the contract marked a significant step forward in the tools available to Scotland’s… Read more ...More From Our News Archive
- Reduction in Glasgow knife crime
- Warning Over Risks Associated With Acting as a Money Mule
- Report on human trafficking in Scotland
- Criticism of proposed secret courts
- Speeding Offences & Accuracy of Speed Detection Devices
- Offensive Behaviour at Football Act
- Repealing the Offensive Behaviour and Threatening Communications Act
- eBay Fraud case thrown out of Court
