I am sure you hear in the news stories about individuals in our community, and country who have broken the law.

Sometimes these crimes are truly heinous and can provoke deep public anger.

Many of us, including me, will have our own ideas about the punishment that should fit these crimes. Often, I am asked if I, as an MSP and a member of the Scottish Government, can step in to call for a sentence to be issued, or, if I can reverse a decision.

However, when it comes to sentencing, it is not appropriate for government ministers to become involved in any way, or comment on decisions made in an independent court of law.

Guidelines developed by the independent Scottish Sentencing Council are always approved by the High Court of Justiciary. Scottish ministers have no role in the approval of any guidelines. There is a statutory duty on the Sentencing Council to periodically review the sentencing guidelines it publishes.

Unfortunately, opposition politicians sometimes seek to capitalise on criminal incidents and sentencing decisions and blame it as a soft approach to justice.

I want to assure you that I, and the Scottish Government, are committed to tackling crime and the causes of crime across our country.

We only have to look at the results to see that much progress is being made. The SNP has a successful track record of having invested more than £24 million to target violence reduction since 2008.

Through this, Scotland has seen a drop in non-sexual violent crime, homicide rates, violence-related hospital admissions, and knife carrying. We still have further to go, and I will work tirelessly as Minister for Victims and Community Safety to fight for safer communities across Scotland.

Still on this issue of crime, I have heard about young people locally who are being targeted online. They are put into vulnerable positions and taken advantage of by criminals concealing their identities.

It is so important that we teach our children from a young age about staying safe online and we keep an eye on them. They should know what they should and should not share, and what sites they should stay clear of.

The good news is that the Scottish Government has lots of helpful information about online safety on its website - www.parentclub.scot.

In our fast-moving world, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest issues affecting our young people. We can all play a part in keeping each other safe online.

Need my help? Email siobhian.brown.msp@parliament.scot or call 01292 810034.