Image source, bbc

That's all from Holyrood Live on Thursday 20 September 2018.

Glasgow School of Art management are to be asked to give evidence to MSPs after the culture committee heard of systemic management failures on fire risk.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh's historic building was destroyed by a blaze in June but had previously been badly damaged by a fire four years ago.

Mackintosh expert Roger Billcliffe said the Mack building had always been a "fire-trap waiting to happen".

Former GSA employee Eileen Reid said everyone knew the building was a risk.

Glasgow Kelvin MSP Sandra White said the GSA board, whose chairman vowed last week to rebuild the iconic building, appeared "not fit for purpose".

MSPs back the government's motion, as amended, by 86 votes for and 26 abstentions.

Image source, Scottish parliament

Image source, bbc

MSPs reject the amendment from Tory MSP Liam Kerr.

27 voted for it, but 86 rejected it.

The Labour amendment is unanimously agreed to.

Mr Yousaf makes assurances that the Scottish government is not complacent and it believes violent crime levels are still too high.

We are not resting on our laurels, he states.

Turning the police numbers, the justice secretary says there are over 900 more officers than were in place when the SNP entered government.

He confirms his party will be voting for the Labour amendment and would have supported the Lib Dem amendment calling for better through-care for prisoners had it been selected.

Mr Yousaf concludes by quoting a recipient of support from the VRU praising their work.

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Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf says as a young Asian male in Glasgow there were places he would not go because of the perception something might happen to him.

"Not so now."

Mr Yousaf tells the chamber that if you had told him Glasgow would become a global model for violence reduction to the rest of the world, he "would have told you that you were downing to many Irn-Brus".

He welcomes Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announcing plans for a unit aiming to divert young people away from knife crime, based on Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit based in Glasgow.

All of us should be proud of the VRU model, he insists, highlighting its creation by the Labour-Lib Dem coalition under then Justice Secretary Cathy Jamieson.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr raises the point Niven Rennie made about unrecorded crime.

Mr Yousaf argues the figure of two thirds of crimes going unrecorded is too high.

Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell says while the violence reduction unit has made good strides, it does not address the issue of under-reporting.

Hospitals are dealing with far higher numbers of serious assaults than are reported to police, she posits.

The downgrading of assaults in official reports is also highlighted.

Some victims of crime are either unwilling to seek or unable to get justice, Ms Mitchell states.

She expresses concern about the closure of police counters and the selling off of police property.

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Scottish Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says it is all about early interventions and looking at things like the reduction in school exclusions.

Mr Johnson says in the prison population at Polmont 40% of the inmates have ADHD, compared to 5% in the general population.

The Labour MSP insists we need to ask ourselves why in some parts of the country people do not feel they can report crimes.

Ultimately if we don't tackle inequality we will not tackle the most fundamental cause of violence, he insists.

"From its site in Glasgow’s leafy Mansfield Park the sleek Street & Arrow airstream truck dishes up tasty modern street food. However this social enterprise does more than just good grub, it’s also serving up second chances for its employees.

"Street & Arrow hires former offenders for twelve month blocks. During that time workers are paired with a mentor who can help them master everything from basic employment skills like turning up to work on time through to debt management and relationship issues."

Read more about the project on the VRU website., external

Gangs were a familiar sight on some of Scotland's most deprived streets a decade ago.

However recent figures from the Scottish government show a decline in youth violence, indicating a cultural change in some communities.

Darren McGarvey - also known as rapper Loki - says he grew up in a community where, "gangs were part of everyday life".

BBC Scotland's Timeline programme sent him to meet three teenagers from Glasgow's east end to find out what stopped them from getting involved in gang violence.

Read more here.

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

Crime rates were highest in areas where there are a large number of pubs, clubs and shops selling alcohol, according to a new report.

Researchers found neighbourhoods in Aberdeen, Moray and South Ayrshire were among those with highest crime rates.

In those regions crime rates are almost eight times higher in areas with the most alcohol outlets, compared with those with the least.

Alcohol Focus Scotland called for action on the availability of alcohol.

Read more here.

Knife crime in England and Wales is rising, but an initiative in Scotland has seen a significant fall in the number of stabbings. Does the rest of the UK need to rethink the way it deals with knife crime?

"I've nearly had my arm severed off. I've been stabbed in the head - fractured skulls, stabbed in the back, punctured lungs, countless, countless times. It's amazing I'm still alive," Callum, 26, tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

Growing up in the east end of Glasgow, where violence "just seemed normal", he started fighting aged just 12 and was taken home by police at 13 after carrying an offensive weapon.

"Some people used to go out and play football, we used to go out and try and stab each other," he says.

"Assaults, robbing and rioting, carrying offensive weapons, breaching of the peace, stuff like that - just continuously getting myself involved with the police."

Read more here.

Image source, No Knives Better Lives

NKBL, external is a national initiative that is delivered at a local level. Since 2009 the NKBL National Delivery Team (based at YouthLink Scotland) and the Scottish Government have supported partners in 11 selected local authority areas to implement NKBL as a local initiative. This support is now available to any local authority area in Scotland

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says too many communities across the country endure high levels of violence and A&E attendances for assault remain higher than police reports.

However, this does not mean we cannot celebrate the progress which has been made in recent years he says.

We need to address poverty and equality, and shortcuts are unlikely to ever be truly effective the Lib Dem states.

The work of the VRU proves the holistic approach works, he adds.

Mr McArthur urges the Scottish government to continue to press ahead with the presumption against short sentencing, as well as calling for improvements to through-care for those leaving prison.

Image source, Getty images

Legislation to ban the smacking of children in Scotland has been published at Holyrood.

The bill, lodged by Green MSP John Finnie, has been backed by the government and looks certain to pass.

Mr Finnie said children should be given "the same legal protection from assault that adults enjoy".

Other parties are expected to give members a free vote on the issue, with MSPs from across the political spectrum voicing support for the move.

Read more here.

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Scottish Green MSP John Finnie says we should applaud the reduction in violence in Scotland and adds there is nothing in the government motion that offends him.

It's irrefutable that progress has been made and he thinks its tremendous Sadiq Khan is coming to Scotland.

Mr Finnie says there is a way to go and calls for an "end to the so-called war on drugs".

He tells the chamber his party won't backing the Tory motion.

The Green MSP argues there has been huge strides in tackling domestic violence and he commends the work of Women's Aid , externaland Rape Crisis Scotland, external.

Mr Finnie argues there is no studies that show smacking children improves their behaviour and mentions his forthcoming member's bill which will ban the practice.