Holyrood election 2016: Where the parties stand on law and order

  • Published

Voters in Scotland go to the polls on Thursday 5 May to choose their next MSPs. But where do the parties stand on key issues? Here we look at jobs and the economy.

  • protect the frontline police budget in real terms for each year in the parliament - delivering an additional £100m of investment over the next five years

  • create a new criminal offence to help tackle all forms of domestic abuse

  • ensure the police also have more specialists, such as experts in cyber-crime and counter-fraud

  • establish Community Justice Scotland for the planning and delivery of community sentences

  • review and reform the Victim Information and Advice Service

  • scrap the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012

  • protect the justice budget in real terms

  • implement the recommendations set out in the Pearson Review into policing

  • a "thorough review" of Police Scotland, which would also look at ways in which local accountability can be restored

  • more Community Payback Orders should include a work element to make them a "credible alternative" to prison with those breaching community sentences should be sent to prison for 24 or 48 hours

  • life should mean life for some of the worst offenders, who would not have the right to apply for parole

  • reversing the "Named Persons law" and setting up a new Crisis Family Fund in its place

  • end to Police Scotland's target driven use of stop & search

  • end ministerial control over appointments and give councils approval over policing plans

  • extra £20m for Police Scotland budget

  • drug use to be treated as a health issue as well as a presumption against short prison sentences of less than 12 months

  • work towards local policing accountable to independent, democratically controlled police authorities, with investment in community policing to focus efforts on crime prevention

  • full equality before the law for LGBTI+ communities and a Strategy for Inclusion co-produced with disabled people, and a Gender Equality Bill

  • enhance legal aid services

  • decriminalisation of possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use

  • changing the drink driving limit back to 80mg per 100ml of blood - the same as the rest of the UK

  • allowing pubs and clubs the choice to open smoking rooms if they wish

  • repeal the "Named Persons Act" and the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012

  • oppose any plans to create a super ID database and review single police force