Eastwood MSP Jackson Carlaw has hit out at the SNP for "letting criminals off lightly" after it was revealed they cancelled thousands of hours of unpaid community work.
Mr Carlaw criticised the SNP's handling of this matter after a Scottish Conservative Freedom of Information Request found that 262,153 unpaid hours of work given to criminals have been wiped out by the SNP across Scotland.
In January, the SNP Government announced they would use “extraordinary powers” to write off a huge number of hours handed out in Community Payback Orders.
In East Renfrewshire Council, 2,329 hours of community payback orders were cut by the SNP, which Mr Carlaw has described as a slap in the face to people who have been victims of crime.
The Eastwood MSP says the number of hours cut is absolutely staggering and he will continue to push Scottish Conservative proposals for a Victims Law to be introduced as soon as possible.
A Victims Law would give everyone who has suffered at the hands of criminal behaviour in Scotland the opportunity to make a victim statement to court outlining what impact this has had on their lives and end the presumption against Short-Term Sentencing so that criminals are punished properly
Scottish Conservative MSP for Eastwood, Jackson Carlaw said:
“The amount of Community Payback Orders cut by the SNP across Scotland and in East Renfrewshire is absolutely staggering.
“They’ve let criminals off the hook by writing off these sentences. That is a total slap in the face to victims of crime across East Renfrewshire.
“SNP Ministers need to ensure these community sentences are taken seriously and fulfilled.
“It is quite simply, the latest example of the SNP letting down victims.
"The Scottish Conservatives will continue to push for a Victims Law to be introduced to put victims first and end the SNP’s soft-touch justice system, by ensuring criminals receive appropriately tough sentences.”