Scotland must urgently introduce GPS monitoring of violent men to save women's lives – Jackie Baillie
GPS tracking of violent men on bail was rolled out in England and Wales in 2018 but Scotland is still only talking about a pilot scheme
Stacy Hunter. Claire Inglis. Vikki Soloman. Kimberley Milne. These are just some of the names of women who have been killed by the men in their lives in the last short while. Every single one of these deaths was preventable.
But they are symbolic of an epidemic of male violence against women in Scotland and across the world. That’s why I am glad that the First Minister called a debate on this important issue in parliament. But warm words are no substitute for action nor will they keep women and girls in Scotland safe.
We need action. The statistics speak for themselves. The record of this government so far is not one to be proud of. Sexual crimes are up 9 per cent from last year and 11 per cent higher than in 2022. Rape and attempted rape is up 8 per cent in a year and has soared by 32 per cent since 2022.
Domestic abuse crimes have increased by 19 per cent, compared to the previous year and have rocketed by 81 per cent from the year ending June 2022.
Sexism and misogyny
All while rape victims must wait an average of nearly three years between reporting an incident to the police and a verdict being given. This is not a record of success. It is a record of abysmal failure.
It is very welcome to hear John Swinney talk about the need for action. And he is right to call for efforts to tackle everyday sexism and misogyny among boys and young men. But the truth is that this vital attempt to change toxic cultures will be doomed to failure if it is not backed up with meaningful political action and policy changes.
Education is important – but if we have cuts to police services then we are only bailing out a boat that has a hole in the hull. What we require is political action. There is no clearer example of this than the need for GPS monitoring of violent men on bail.
Stacy Hunter was murdered by her ex-partner who was out on bail. He had been told to stay away from her, but there was no clear way to properly monitor his movements. Had he been tracked, there is a chance he could have been stopped and Stacy could be here today.
READ MORE: Amid soaring levels of male violence, SNP must ditch its unconscionable early release plan
An epidemic of violence against women
Community Justice Scotland called for GPS tracking a decade ago. The system was rolled out in England and Wales way back in 2018. But here in Scotland it is still not in place.
John Swinney has promised to introduce GPS tracking as a pilot and this is very welcome. But without a clear date for implementation across the country we have no way of knowing how long it will take. This system can save lives and, every day it is not in place, we are putting women and girls in danger.
John Swinney rightly understands the need to tackle the epidemic in violence against women. But if we don't move beyond warm words, then we will be failing Scotland's women. It's time to put Scotland's women first.
Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health