Stephen Kerr: “After nearly 20 years in government, crime is soaring, while the number of police officers continues to be slashed.”

Ministers must stop dithering, shut these loopholes and ensure public money is spent supporting victims - not criminals.

This is what nearly two decades of SNP failure on justice looks like: rising crime, weaker sentences and a justice system that criminals can increasingly take advantage of.

Fewer officers on the streets puts public safety at risk and every officer cut is a gift to criminals who know Scotland's overstretched police force can no longer investigate every crime.

The SNP's savage cuts to police budgets have weakened frontline policing, yet they still expect them to do their jobs with one hand tied behind their backs.