----------------- -----------------  |  | | Last Updated: Wednesday, 9 February, 2005, 14:30 GMT |
At-a-glance: Police Bill details | | A consultation paper has been launched by the Scotish Executive which will form the basis of a new Police Bill later this year. The main proposals are: Knife crime The maximum penalty for carrying a knife in a public place would be doubled from two years to four.
Police would have greater powers - including the power
to arrest on suspicion of carrying a knife.
The minimum purchase age for buying a knife would be increased from 16 to 18.
Plans for a licensing scheme and a ban on the sale of swords will not be included in the new Police Bill. Instead, ministers hope to bring these measures in using existing legislation.
Football banning orders An order would ban a person from attending specified football matches in Scotland - and for matches played outside the UK involving the Scottish national team or a Scottish club.
For games involving Scottish teams played in the rest of the UK, a troublemaker may be required to report to a Scottish police station on the day of the game.
Courts could also ban hooligans from certain pubs or town centres on match days.
Where a football hooligan is jailed for a football-related offence, banning orders could last for up to 10 years, or up to five years in cases where a fan
is convicted but not jailed.
Mandatory drug testing Those arrested for "trigger" offences associated with drug misuse - like theft - would have to undergo a test for Class A drugs, such as heroin, at the police station.
A person who gave a positive result on the electronic testing kit would be required to turn up for a drugs assessment session - although whether the person
co-operated with the assessment would be up to them.
Supergrass proposals These are designed to correct the present system, under
which there is no formal process under Scots law by which courts can take account of an accused person's co-operation in return for a reduced sentence.
Under the new system, an accused person who wants to cooperate would strike a
written agreement with the prosecution.
Other provisions Police would get the power to ask not just for a person's name and address, but for their place and
date of birth as well.
It also proposes giving police powers to take fingerprints at places other than police stations.
It establishes a new independent body to investigate non-criminal complaints against the police.
It also includes a range of proposals to improve the way decisions are taken on marches and parades in line with the recommendations in Sir John Orr's review, published last month.
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