JUSTICE Secretary Humza Yousaf has welcomed figures revealing communities have benefitted from around seven million hours of unpaid work by offenders.

Yousaf also confirmed plans to extend a presumption against short prison sentences of between three and 12 months after Easter, subject to parliamentary approval.

The Scottish Government introduced community payback orders (CPOs) as an alternative to custody in 2011.

Criminal Justice Social Work 2017-18 statistics showed 17,800 CPOs were commenced in 2017-18. Seventy-five per cent had an unpaid work or other activity requirement and the successful completion rate was about 70%. Yousaf said: “With the total number of hours around seven million, and evidence showing those given a short prison sentence are re-convicted almost twice as often as those given CPOs, the value of community sentences is clear.”

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr, said the figures were evidence of “soft touch justice”. He said: “It is an outrage that nearly a third of community sentences are not completed. Nicola Sturgeon’s plan to abolish sentences of less than a year could see almost 9500 criminals avoid jail.

“In addition, it will just put more pressure on the community justice system, which already can’t cope.”

Labour’s justice spokesman Daniel Johnson welcomed the presumption against short-term sentences and the LibDems’ Liam McArthur praised the “common-sense” move.”