Why does Glasgow, and Scotland have an inherent culture of knife crime giving it the title of being the “Murder Capital of Europe?”¹

The risk of being involved in violent crime in my home city of Glasgow is huge. It’s endemic in large areas of the city. People risk assault, and murder on a daily basis for walking into the wrong neighbourhood at the wrong time. Gangs of youths risk life and limb on a daily basis with running street battles peppered along gang or territorial boundaries.

The attacks always involve weapons. Knives, machettes and swords are very commonly used in horrific attacks to maim and kill. Over 60 percent of violent crime in Strathclyde involves the use of a knife.

A UNITED Nations report, prepared by their crime research institute, has labelled Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, where the risk of assault is three times higher than that in the United States.

Since the razor gangs of the 30’s and 60’s Glasgow, Scotland has always had the reputation of being a violent city. Glasgow hosts some of the poorest housing estates in the UK, and in recent years with knife crime spiraling out of control it has been dubbed the murder capital of Europe.

Police initiatives such as “Operation Blade” in the early 1990’s did little to combat the problem; in fact, statistics have proven that the number of serious stabbings and murders actually increased following Operation Blade. Murders involving knives are three and half times higher in Glasgow than any other city in the UK.

Glasgow’s problems with knife crime are very deep rooted, and will take much more than short term police initiatives or a weapons armistice to cure. There is a culture of knife crime in Glasgow, which is linked not only to the poorest areas of the city, and those living in them, but also to drug and alcohol abuse.

This year, 2006 saw another 5 week knife amnesty during June and July with approximately 13,000² weapons handed into local police stations around Scotland, however since the end of the amnesty there is no apparent let up in the violence and loss of life.

Sources:

1. Murder Capital of Europe
     1. The Sunday Times, September 25 2005
     2. The Observer, April 11 2005

2. BBC Scotland Report July 4th – midnight end of amnesty report