Labour yesterday made a fresh plea for anyone caught carrying a knife to be jailed after figures showed that almost half of all killings in Scotland involved a sharp weapon.
There were a total of 114 homicide cases in Scotland in 2007-08.
Figures from Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill showed that 55 of these involved a sharp instrument – making this the most common method in killings.
Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said: “Too often it is friends that end up killing each other after a disagreement.
“These are deaths that would have been avoided if one of the pair had not been carrying a weapon.
“The figures also show that it’s not just young people that are involved with knife crime.
“Men between 30 and 50 make up a large proportion of those involved in knife-related murders.”
Statistics for 2007-08 showed that 22 of the people accused of using a sharp object in a killing were aged 30 to 49, compared to 11 who were between 16 and 20 years old, 15 in the 21 to 29 age range, six who were aged 50 to 69 and just one who was under 15.
Mr Baker said: “The message needs to be clear – carry a knife and go to jail.
“The only way to drive down not just knife-related murders but also the number of knife attacks is to get tough on the perpetrators.”
He claimed: “The SNP’s soft-touch approach is not working and the SNP have not produced one single measure to tackle knife crime in over two years of power.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Knife crime is an extremely serious issue that blights too many areas of Scotland.
“Our approach of tough enforcement, that’s seen over 2,000 weapons taken off the streets, tough punishments — that’s seen the jail term increase by a third — and hard-hitting education to change the culture is one that can work.
“We have made clear that we believe people who use a knife should be sent to jail. Using a knife is a serious crime and those who commit serious crimes should be in prison.
“The Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill contains provisions to set up a sentencing council taking into account the views of the public, victims, and police.
“But a big part of the issue here is about tackling the culture that makes people pick up a blade - that’s why we’re also focusing on education.