Scotland's murder rate is the fastest rising in western Europe, figures revealed today.
Data published by the United Nations found the number of killings in Scotland was 2.1 per 100,000 people.
Homicides in the country have risen more than a third, giving it the joint highest murder rate in western Europe along with Finland and Portugal.
The UN Survey of Crime Trends and Operation of Criminal Justice Systems covered the period 2005 to 2006.
In Scotland, the murder rate rose from 1.59 per 100,000 people to 2.1, an increase of 34%.
The rise was the sixth biggest increase in the world, coming behind Bahrain (73%), Jordan (45%), Tajikistan (43%), Armenia (37%) and Mauritius (34%).
It was higher than the rate in both Portugal, which recorded a 30% increase, and Finland, where the number of murders fell by 1%.
Of the 109 killings logged in Scotland, 31 of those were in Glasgow, and between 2005 and 2006 the number of murders in the city increased from 4.49 per 100,000 to 5.34.
Data released by the Scottish Government for 2006-07 recorded 114 murder victims in Scotland.
Almost half of the killings were carried out with a sharp instrument, such as a knife.
Bill Aitken, the justice spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper the figures were "depressing and alarming".
He added: "What do we need to do to smash this booze and blade culture that prevails among youths in west central Scotland?
"There should be a significant increase in stop and search. Anyone caught carrying a weapon should be fast-tracked by the courts and there should be a presumption of custody."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Knife crime is not a new problem in Scotland. Too many Scots - especially young men - feel the need to carry a blade under the delusion that it offers them protection.
"These figures cover 2005/06 - a lot has changed since then - and we are tackling the problem now."
He added that they were working with the Violence Reduction Unit which had recently invested £80,000 in a new initiative, Medics Against Violence.
It will see medics in Glasgow going into schools and working directly with young people on the dangers of carrying a knife.
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