In 2010/11, the police caught someone with a knife every 90 minutes in Scotland, and there was a murder once a week.
The previous year was no better, with three people a day being admitted to hospital. There is no doubt knife crime is still an enormous issue for this country.
How we deal with it is a source of much political debate. On one hand, the Labour and Conservative parties argue passionately that only tough mandatory sentences can properly deter knife-carrying thugs. The Scottish Government argues just as strongly that discretion is more important. Both sides believe police numbers are important.
However, whilst focusing on sentences - which does produce nice clean electoral soundbites - it’s only one of the approaches which should be taken.
Knife crime exists in communities which live in fear. A knife is seen as a tool of power, but also as a necessary defence.
There is a terrible logic behind what happens. One person gets a knife, which means others feel vulnerable, so they too get knives, so other people feel vulnerable and also get knives. And so it continues.
Of course what happens is that arguments are now more serious, disputes become more dangerous, fights become more fatal.
The reality is that knife crime is also a symptom of wider social issues. It isn't wealthy Kelvinside where people are arming themselves, it’s in places like Springburn and Barmulloch.
I should know, I grew up in the East End of Glasgow, known for its notorious gang culture and high levels of poverty. It is in places like this, where people have lost faith in the state, and have to rely on their own justice, or sit in fear in the dark. It is the unacceptable side of Scotland.
So to speak about knife crime in isolation is pointless. To claim a single measure one way or another will change things is naive.
But there are things we can do. There is a place for tough sentences for the worst offenders, but that should be balanced with looking at what is the right outcome for the accused.
The outlook for young people who are jailed is grim, a two-year sentence will condemn that person to a lifetime of living on the periphery of society.
The role of the police is also important. But it’s not as simple as more officers that will fix things.
They need to take the right approach, and the work of Strathclyde Police's Violence Reduction Unit shows how effective community policing can be. The figures are stark, but they were even worse five years ago.
But there is also a role for education. Because for so many young people, the choice to carry a knife is a uninformed one.
That is why the Scottish Youth Parliament run the We-CTV project with the Scottish Government's Community Safety Department. The project gives young people cameras and training and then lets them make a film to educate their peers on the risks of knife crime.
Of course alone a project like this won't change the world. But it is community youth-led projects like this which must be part of a strategy to deal with the issue.
But no matter if we get policing, community, and sentencing correct, none of it will end knife crime. That requires us to deal with the deprivation which incubates these issues.
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Cutting down on knife crime needs a radical approach
The numbers are truly horrific.
In 2010/11, the police caught someone with a knife every 90 minutes in Scotland, and there was a murder once a week.
The previous year was no better, with three people a day being admitted to hospital. There is no doubt knife crime is still an enormous issue for this country.
How we deal with it is a source of much political debate. On one hand, the Labour and Conservative parties argue passionately that only tough mandatory sentences can properly deter knife-carrying thugs. The Scottish Government argues just as strongly that discretion is more important. Both sides believe police numbers are important.
However, whilst focusing on sentences - which does produce nice clean electoral soundbites - it’s only one of the approaches which should be taken.
Knife crime exists in communities which live in fear. A knife is seen as a tool of power, but also as a necessary defence.
There is a terrible logic behind what happens. One person gets a knife, which means others feel vulnerable, so they too get knives, so other people feel vulnerable and also get knives. And so it continues.
Of course what happens is that arguments are now more serious, disputes become more dangerous, fights become more fatal.
The reality is that knife crime is also a symptom of wider social issues. It isn't wealthy Kelvinside where people are arming themselves, it’s in places like Springburn and Barmulloch.
I should know, I grew up in the East End of Glasgow, known for its notorious gang culture and high levels of poverty. It is in places like this, where people have lost faith in the state, and have to rely on their own justice, or sit in fear in the dark. It is the unacceptable side of Scotland.
So to speak about knife crime in isolation is pointless. To claim a single measure one way or another will change things is naive.
But there are things we can do. There is a place for tough sentences for the worst offenders, but that should be balanced with looking at what is the right outcome for the accused.
The outlook for young people who are jailed is grim, a two-year sentence will condemn that person to a lifetime of living on the periphery of society.
The role of the police is also important. But it’s not as simple as more officers that will fix things.
They need to take the right approach, and the work of Strathclyde Police's Violence Reduction Unit shows how effective community policing can be. The figures are stark, but they were even worse five years ago.
But there is also a role for education. Because for so many young people, the choice to carry a knife is a uninformed one.
That is why the Scottish Youth Parliament run the We-CTV project with the Scottish Government's Community Safety Department. The project gives young people cameras and training and then lets them make a film to educate their peers on the risks of knife crime.
Of course alone a project like this won't change the world. But it is community youth-led projects like this which must be part of a strategy to deal with the issue.
But no matter if we get policing, community, and sentencing correct, none of it will end knife crime. That requires us to deal with the deprivation which incubates these issues.
At least, though, we can make a start.
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We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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