Scotland is one of world's worst blackspots for knife crime

Jun 22 2008

KNIFE thugs plaguing Scotland's streets are fuelling one of the highest murder rates in Europe.

Scots are twice as likely to be knifed to death than people in England, with most blade-related violence centred on west central Scotland.

Glasgow had a homicide rate of 58.7 people per million of population - the highest in western Europe - in 2002.

But knife crime in Scotland could be much higher than official statistics suggest.

Last year 544 knife victims were hospitalised in Glasgow and 1170 across Scotland.

Only the most seriously injured patients - those admitted to hospital - are recorded on national databases.

But many stab victims discharge themselves to avoid coming to the attention of police because their injuries are gang-related.

These facts have led to growing calls for mandatory jail sentences for those caught with a blade.

In January, John Muir, 69, from Inverkip, Renfrewshire, had collected 15,000 signatures on a petition demanding jail terms for those caught carrying a knife.

John's son Damian, 34, was stabbed eight times in a frenzied attack last July.