Too many women across Scotland are living in fear while their abusers remain free to walk the streets, according to Record View. Too many times the justice system fails to keep women safe by failing to keep violent or abusive men away from them.
Arkadiusz Lis dodged jail despite undertaking a horrifying campaign of harassment against a mum. The victim claims she has been repeatedly failed by the justice system after Lis – who was previously filmed slashing her tyres – was handed community service.
New misogyny legislation delayed
John Swinney last week announced his Government would bring forward new legislation to clamp down on misogyny. But this is the same bill previously shelved before May’s election.
The First Minister faced questions from three separate parties at Holyrood last week on why changes have taken so long. Labour, the Lib Dems and the Conservatives all listed examples of times when the justice system has failed victims, with fatal results.
Stacy Hunter case sparks GPS tracking calls
Stacy Hunter was murdered by her ex-partner just three weeks after he had appeared in court accused of strangling her. Her family was now calling for Scotland to roll out GPS tracking of violent offenders who are out on bail.
A pilot project is under way and the Scottish Government must commit to a national roll-out if it proves feasible. Warm words from politicians on this subject are welcome but calls to action are meaningless unless justice is delivered.
Swinney has promised to reform public services. Such reform must include the police and courts system when it comes to tackling misogyny.
Honesty needed on public sector reform
John Swinney owes it to public sector workers to be honest with them when he talks about plans to shake-up how services are delivered. The SNP Government must save £5billion by 2030.
That’s not the fault of staff at local authorities or health boards. But Swinney still can’t say how many jobs will ultimately go. And he won’t put a number on how many councils is the right one for Scotland.
Trade unions say reform is necessary but they will not accept job losses. Already, there are concerns about local democracy becoming even more remote.
Previous SNP-backed centralisation plans – such as the creation of Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service – have been far from popular with the public and those working for them. Swinney must learn from those mistakes and not repeat them, and he should be upfront about what his plans for reform actually mean.
