England copies Scottish approach to tackle knife crime epidemic

Police chiefs in England are aiming to copy Scottish success in using a public health approach to reduce knife crime.

Action taken north of the Border, where Glasgow was once dubbed the murder capital of Europe, has seen the number of homicides drop by 39 per cent in a decade.

The fundamental idea is that violent crime should be treated like a disease, tackling the causes as well as the consequences to prevent it spreading. In 2005, after Scotland had seen 137 murders in a year, including 41 in Glasgow alone, a violence reduction unit (VRU) was set up by Strathclyde Police in an effort to stem the bloodshed.

The team’s new approach wastoworkwiththoseinfields such as social work, health and education, as well as using traditional law enforcement techniques, including the fingerprint and DNA testing of all knife carriers.

The VRU became a national unit and has continued, with an annual budget of around £1 million to back a wide variety of initiatives. These include offering young people at risk of being drawn into violent crime or who already have convictions alternatives such as training, jobs and youth clubs.

There are also schemes that support parents, an aimtoreducedomesticviolence – a key cause for children who go on to commit violent crime – and tackle alcohol abuse.

London has set up its own violence reduction unit and Home Secretary Sajid Javid is backing the public health approach.