Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes

Will Linden, Depute Head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and a visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde, seen and heard often in England but rarely in Scotland

On the Today programme, a BBC Radio 4 interviewer enthuses about the reduction in knife crime and homicide in Scotland over nearly two decades, as he interviews Will Linden Depute Head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit

You can hear the whole interview, around 53 mins in, at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001v3bj

BBC R4’s interests comes against the background of high levels of knife-related deaths in England and, today, the actor Idris Elba’s call for a ban on sales which he says the Conservative Government has neglected: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67903124

BBC Scotland and the newspapers are not interested in this but, rather, focus on two suicide cases in one Scottish prison.

Try searching for Will Linden and you’ll find him on x, on youtube and on academic sites.

Select for ‘News’ and he disappears.

Select for News.

Nada other than one Channel 4 interview in March 2019.

This blindness to success by the Scottish media is not new.

In 2016, BBC Scotland and STV not give the coverage to this highly impressive demonstration of Police Scotland’s reputation, in the USA. I felt really proud of the commitment to human rights we have from our police.

18 thoughts on “Crime and Policing – How Scotland’s media hide our successes”

  1. Alas there is no “freedom of the press” ( and wider media) in Scotland. Their journalistic role has been suborned to British nationalist propaganda by commission and omission.
    The SNP should have been asking pertinent questions over the role of outfits like the BBC, its Board, the poor return we get for our licence fee and its partisan political coverage of Scotland.
    We will not get independence as long as the media dice are loaded in favour of the Brit Nats.

    Gavinochiltree

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  2. Knife crime increased in London S/E with Austerity. 2010. Increased by 200 a year in London S/E. Corrupt Met Authority. All the support system were shut down. Nothing at all to do with Scotland.

    Homicides on average in the UK. 500+ a year. Increased to 700 because of Westminster austerity policies. Met, misogynist, racist, bigoted and badly led and not following guide lines. Illegally abusing people.

    Still a relative low number of UK homicides pro rata. 63million pop. Less % in Scotland. Less knife crime %. Policies introduced by the Scottish Gov cut crime rates. A gender issue. Most crime is committed by men. Against other people.

    Could be reduced no problem with proper UK Gov policies. US 340million pop 26,000 homicides a year. High gun crime. ‘Right to bear arms’ and shoot innocent people. Tragic policy.

    Crime is relevantly low in Scotland by comparison.

    Women who cohabit, the majority, do not have equal rights. There is little legal aid. Abused women have to stay in abusive, unsafe places. Or lose the roof over their heads. The Law has recently changed in the South, so abused women can get legal aid and get away. Without losing the roof over their heads.

    The UK has the highest prison population in Europe. People on the spectrum not being given the right support and diagnosis.No diversity recognition. People in care falling through the net. Crime is linked to alcohol/drug use. More rehab facilities instead of prison. Prison £40,000 a year. Rehab is cheaper and more effective.

    Children in care in Scotland. 10,000 reduced 40% since 2010. MUP reducing alcohol consumption. Kinship payments, nursery places. £25 a week child payment, less student fees, support packages for those in care. Student payments, no council tax, affordable housing etc.

    The BBC Board is stuffed with Tories. BBC Scotland is stuffed with Labour. UK Gov policy. There is always the internet for people to exchange views and information and other effective news outlets. Not just biased, non dom, propaganda.

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  3. All UK military, police and civil servants have to swear an other of allegiance to the Westminster Gov under the Official Secrets Act. Ruled by Westminster under the Official Secrets Act. So Westminster Gov can get away with criminal behaviour. A law unto themselves. They make the Law and break the Law with immunity. Doing Westminster’s bidding. Unlawful.

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    1. The Oath of Alleigance is made to the Crown, under English law for England, Wales and NI, under Scots law for Scots. It depends entirely on where legal jurisdiction rests. The oath for the military can be administered by any commissioned officer. Since the monarchs office clearly states that the UK is 2 crowns on one head there is clearly a problem which is why nobody talks about this particularly for the military serving in Scotland and Scotland’s police service.
      Golfnut

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  4. About 25 years ago, I attended a seminar at Glasgow University with the, then, Strathclyde Police Violence Reduction Unit.

    One of the questions to the officers was about how little reporting there was about the work of the unit. There had been reports but they were infrequent and often low key.

    The officers explained that the media (and political) paradigm was that criminals were scum low life and that hard punishment is what was wanted. The officer was about 6feet 6inches and as broad as a garage door. He said that one of the reasons he had been recruited as a constable was that if there was a barney at Bridgeton Cross (he was based at London Road office) he could wade in with baton and fists and give the ‘thugs’ ‘a taste of their own medicine’. This was the stereotype the media wanted. They viewed the reconceptualisation of violence as a public health matter as ‘namby pamby wishy washy’ stuff.

    So, the police compromised with them: the media would give the VRU a chance, but they would not report on it, but they would still characterise people involved as thugs and scum. The Police are a source of tip offs, so, if the media did not play ball, the tip offs would stop.

    It was not until the riots in England in 2011 that the work of the VRU was recognised. Prime Minister Cameron had stated the riots were in BRITISH cities. Alex Salmond pointed out that there had been no riots in Scottish cities. To give him credit, Cameron acknowledged this and invited the VRU to address the UK Cabinet.

    So, we get positive reports on the VRU in English/UK media, but the Scottish media and unionist politicians largely continue with the ‘no mean city’ stereotype.

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  6. They have Scotland exactly where they want Scotland to be…….supposedly divided
    nation……”divide and rule”……..the colonialist mantra.
    The Scottish media is broken…..that includes The National’s dubious crusade to independence…….
    I noticed no coverage so far on Pro Palestinian demo in Rutherglen where Sarwar
    was begging for Independence supporters to lend him our vote to get rid of the Tories………what?……and replace them with exactly the same self serving unionist
    right wing anti Scottish party….do or Heidi’s button up the back.
    DO NOT VOTE FOR THE RED TORIES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
    The only way to rid Scotland of this “pishosity” is to be a modern Independent
    country, the only way to do that is to vote for Scotlands biggest party The SNP!!!
    Unfortunately at the moment we need strong representation at westmonster The Labour branch in Scotland will not represent Scotlands interests in their broken
    parliament therefore we need the biggest majority of SNP to be voted in!!!
    Scotland needs to unite and put petty squabbles to the side and vote for one party
    to finally rid us of the poisonous unionist scaremongering.
    The SNP are the biggest party for Independence vote for them it would be insane
    to “lend” London labour your vote if you are for Scottish Independence they have done this kind of thing before……remember “The Vow”…….skullduggery and unscrupulous Labour politicians do not deserve our vote.
    Put your X in the box for SNP not for the dame or Sarwar remember the lies they have spread in their media platforms to divide our nation…they are not the “Socialist” party of old they deserve nothing but to be wiped from the face of Scottish politics.

    “If the Labour Party could be bullied or persuaded to denounce its Marxists, the media – having tasted blood – would demand that it expel its socialists and form a harmless alternative to The Conservatives, which would be allowed to take office now and again when The Conservatives fell out of favour with the public. Thus British capitalism would be made safe.”
    – Tony Benn

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    1. What is your point?
      Every one is allowed to remain anonymous if they want………as long as it isn’t
      BritNat trolls or bots it is okay.

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      1. That is exactly the point Other people are less likely to pay attention to anonymous posts and valid points related to the article are more likely to be ignored.

        Liked by 1 person

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        1. Nonsense if I want to remain anonymous then that is my choice and not
          for you to dictate……regardless of who posts something , if it is valid then people will read it…have we come to this divisive madness already?

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            1. Thank you but I can still remain anonymous if I want…….last year
              I gave a reply and it posted my email address which I didn’t like,
              I received hundreds of unionist messages, some quite nasty,
              therefore anonymous it has to be unfortunately….I might add these
              unionist trolls wouldn’t say it to my face as I am built like the proverbial side of a house….ha!ha!ha!
              I reckon as long as there is positive dialogue then we are all winning!!!
              🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍

              Liked by 2 people

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              1. Well we can certainly agree on that. Perhaps you can get a nom de plume instead of the anonymous one that would keep me happier anyway!

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  9. From “exile” to Robert Martin, about anonymous posts – WordPress has changed the format for “Leave a Reply”. It no longer provides a box for a replier’s email and user name. I am not logged into WordPress, so the best I can do with the new format is just to show my user name. Other repliers put their user names at the end of their comments.

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