Young Scots groomed by gangsters to carry out crimes due to 'reduced risk' of being jailed
The SNP Government has been accused of failing to tackle organised crime after two notorious Scots gangsters were gunned down in Spain.
Vulnerable young Scots are being groomed by gangsters to commit crimes as they face a "reduced risk" of being jailed, John Swinney has been warned.
The First Minister was today told his Government was failing to take the threat of organised crime sufficiently seriously after two notorious criminals were gunned down in Spain last week.
Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43 - were shot dead in a Costa del Sol pub in front of horrified tourists.
The deaths of the hoods followed a series of assaults, shootings and firebombings across Glasgow and Edinburgh since March. Police have arrested 41 people in relation to the gangland feud, with the probe being dubbed Operation Portaledge.
MSP Russell Findlay said today Monaghan and Lyons - a scion of of the notorious Glaswegian crime family - had been "groomed for a life of crime".
The Scottish Tory leader warned gangs were still actively recruiting teenage Scots by reassuring them their young age would help them dodge jail if caught.
A sentencing guideline introduced in 2022 makes rehabilitation rather than punishment a primary consideration when sentencing young offenders.
Findlay said: "We need to stop crime bosses exploiting vulnerable young people. The two men shot dead in Spain were groomed for a life of crime. Most of their gang associates are dead or in prison.
"And now there's an official policy in place that makes young people even more vulnerable to exploitation. Senior Police Scotland officers state that under-25 sentencing guidelines are part of the problem.
"Detective Superintendent Andy Patrick said: 'Organised crime groups are exploiting this policy. They are coercing young and vulnerable people to carry out some of these crimes because they are under reduced risk of imprisonment'.
"Will John Swinney rethink his Government's support for these damaging guidelines?"
Swinney fired back: "It is misleading to say to members of the public that there are no consequences for criminal activity under the age of 25, because there are. There are very serious consequences which involve imprisonment."
The First Minister added: "Mr Findlay has made a number of remarks about the shootings that took place in Spain in recent days. These are live police investigations, so I am not able to comment on these particular issues. They are being pursued by the Spanish authorities.
"But what I do say to Parliament is that any individual involved in criminal activity, no matter their age, must be aware of the severity of the punishments that exist."
Findlay earlier said: "These parasites grow rich by preying on society's most vulnerable. These cowards cause terror and death with guns, knives and fire bombs.
"These thugs go after journalists, politicians, businessmen, police and prison officers. Organised crime is out of control and communities are living in fear.
"Does John Swinney accept that the Scottish Parliament has failed to tackle organised crime in Scotland?'
The First Minister respondd: Organised crime is intolerable, it is unacceptable. It requires the forensic attention of our police and criminal justice authorities to tackle it, and that is being undertaken within Scotland on a relentless basis by Police Scotland and by the criminal justice authorities.
"I would expect the authorities to pursue that level of scrutiny and activity, and that is what is happening."
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