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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
The number of murders in Scotland rose by over a quarter last year, wiping out improvements made in the previous year.
Last year saw 119 victims of homicide in Scotland, a rise of 27 per cent, with 84 per cent of the victims and 92 per cent of those accused of the killings being male.
Nearly half – 47 per cent – of those accused of the killings had been drinking, were on drugs, or both, when they allegedly committed the act.
Knives and other bladed and sharp objects remained the most common murder weapons, being used in the killing of 54 people.
The majority of cases – 64 per cent - occurred in the Strathclyde Police area while Dumfries and Galloway recorded no homicides in 2006-07.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill said the figures demonstrated the need for increased efforts to tackle Scotland’s ‘bevvy’ and gang culture.
“These depressingly familiar statistics show the long-term challenge we face. But this is not an issue for fatalism or political points scoring. The overall approach to tackling violence which was initiated under the last administration was the right one - tough enforcement initiatives on knives, on alcohol-fuelled violence, and on gangs backed by a long-term approach to educate and shift attitudes among young people. We intend to build on that.
“We will also take a new approach to reinvesting the proceeds of crime to make a real and positive difference to young people's lives. We need to give young people positive things to do with their lives - in sport and in the arts for example. We plan to make an announcement soon on crime proceeds that will pave the way for one of the most significant expansions of youth activity we have ever seen in this country.”
One person has commented on this article. 1. Murder rate rises
Anonymous, Unregistered What's really strange in this figure is that all the sensationalism we get about serial killers murdering masses of women would seem to be largely untrue.- The figures show that of all these terrible acts, women were a significant minority- 20 women murdered against 99 men.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 December 2007 )
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