Commenting as police officers in Scotland urge a rethink on how knife crime is dealt with, Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Robert Brown said:

“The failed populist policies and slogans of the Labour party will not stop knife crime in Scotland.

“A never ending carousel of jail time will not end it either. 90% of people jailed for knife crime have already been in prison. Prison is not a deterrent for most offenders.

“We need real solutions for tackling knife crime in Scotland. Liberal Democrats will tackle gang culture in Scotland and build on the strong anti-violence work in Strathclyde that has cut violent crime by more than 46%.

“These are solutions that will last."