By Liz S
The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
That’s your answer as to why we see, yet again, the “Daily Record’s sickening and repeated exploitation of tragedy and failure to inform their readers as murder by knife and possession of knives plummet in Scotland, only”.
“Failure of government” ?
The Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan , was Knighted in the 2025 New Years Honours list for political and public service. He is the first Mayor to be awarded a Knighthood.
“London experiences a high incidence of knife crime, with nearly a third of all knife-related offenses in England and Wales occurring within the capital“.
“In 2024, the Metropolitan Police recorded 16,789 offenses involving bladed weapons, translating to around 46 incidents per day“.
This signifies a significant increase in knife crime over the past decade, particularly in London, where it reached a 14-year high in 2024“.
BBC Article in March 2025 with a header:
“Knife crime: ‘There is a war going on in the UK“
This was a quote from a young man who had just been released from prison for stabbing a man that they, the BBC, then decided to use his quote as their main headline for this article.
The article included information that stated “Across England and Wales, excluding Greater Manchester, there were around 50,500 offences involving a sharp instrument recorded in the year ending March 2024“
“This was 4.4% higher than in 2022/23 and 2.8% lower than in 2019/20″.
“Between March 2024 and February 2025, the Metropolitan Police recorded 15,182 incidents of knife crime, up 2.7% on the previous 12 months“
“The force (Met) also recorded 1,958 gun crime offences between March 2024 and February 2025, up 31.9% on the previous 12 months“.
The BBC chose to headline this article via a quote that was made by a young person who referred to this as being “a war in the UK” yet this article only referred to mainly England and also noted Wales but not Scotland.
Nowhere in this article was it noted the successful public health approach adopted by Scotland on knife crime, but it was noted that Khan had adopted that approach but it read as if it was his initiative and not one copied from Scotland. Though the decline in Knife crime violence in London has not matched that of Scotland.
Yet Starmer awarded Khan a Knighthood in 2025 for “political and public service” .
Today the Daily Record are choosing (yet again) to politicise something , which although tragic as all and any deaths of young people are indeed tragic, however they are today the only newspaper (so far) who have chosen to promote this as if it is equal to the deaths via knife crime in other areas of the UK, like say London. They also promote that a violence campaigner states this is a “failure of government” as in #SNPBAD.
Scotland was never ever given the deserved recognition for reducing knife crime in young people via the public health initiative adopted in Scotland but now we see how that lack of publicity is being reversed to one of front page headlines and condemnation in random acts of violence that have tragically resulted in deaths of young people.
“Stop waiting for more funerals do something now” is also on the front page of the Daily Record as if there is currently been no successful ongoing initiative that so far has been working to reduce knife crime in Scotland , so much so that other areas in the UK have now adopted this Public Health approach to Knife crime.
This is the kind of headlines you get from a newspaper (ITO) that is published in Scotland when that newspaper (ITO) is so politically compromised as it works on behalf of one specific political party, the Labour party, while also supporting the UK as a State and so opposing Scottish independence.
(BTW Bella Caledonia did a really good and quite revealing article on the background of the Labour candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election , Davy Russell aka David Russell, entitled “Labour and the Larkhall Blues”.
It’s the kind of background information that most MSM within Scotland would avoid publishing in case it could potentially damage Labour’s chances in any up an coming election or indeed damage any other parties who were opposition to the SNP in a still to be held election).
Vote SNP in the above by-election and also vote for them by a majority in the 2026 Scottish elections , as if anyone is still thinking of voting for Labour and seeing them as the best option for Scotland then they are either ignoring reality or oblivious to it , either way we who are neither ignoring or oblivious to reality will then need to continue to suffer (as will they who voted for Labour in any elections).
Always remember Anas Sarwar does not give orders he takes them ………from Labour HQ.
Let’s see if he, Sarwar, jumps on this DR bandwagon, it would be as hypocritical for him to do so just as it also would be for the Tories in Scotland to do as well, the Tories whose own party as the previous UK government saw an increase in knife crime deaths in England on their watch .
Liz S
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
strangely in reviewing the SNP election material there is no mention of independence.
so I guess they have given up in indy
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In case you hadn’t realised, the election isn’t until next year – so no official material has been printed yet really.
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It was mentioned by John Swinney more times today than in the last few months.
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“Oor Davy” and Anus are constantly on repeat if you happen to watch YouTube without paying for premium.
You have to wonder how much Liebare are spending on the campaign to get “Oor Davy” into power.
I note the National have a story about him running scared of a debate on STV as he isn’t much of a speaker.
He’ll have a huge appeal to the knickle-draggers where he stays.
I have emailed YouTube to get lost with the constant bombardment of political messaging (well, lies actually in this instance) but needless to say they are ignoring my requests.
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From a UK charity with a mission to reduce knife crime and improve community safety – https://knives4lives.co.uk
‘The Media’s Alarming Influence on Knife Crime Perception’ (November 15, 2024) – ‘The media holds significant power in shaping public perception and policy around knife crime in the UK.
‘While its role in raising awareness is vital, media outlets need to offer balanced reporting. Their reporting should be nuanced and precise. By doing so, they can help foster informed public discourse. This approach can also reduce fear and stigmatisation.’
And on what media influence could facilitate: ‘Furthermore, it supports the development of effective, long-term solutions to this pressing issue. For the community at large, understanding the media’s impact on knife crime is crucial. This understanding aids in advocating for positive change. It also supports efforts to create safer, more resilient communities.’ (my emphasis)
So has the Daily Record in its latest article on knife crime passed this charity’s tests of providing nuanced and precise reporting which helps foster informed public discourse – given its amplification of emotive language; its focus on reporting highly personalised attacks on the FM; the absence of context in the article; the absence of perspective, either by, for example, reporting objective, statistical evidence from within Scotland or from elsewhere in the UK or internationally; the absence of information or insight on the wide range of actions being taken in Scotland , including with Scottish Government support, on this and cognate issues, including initiatives widely praised by informed third parties outside Scotland?
The answer seems blindingly obvious! The underlying reason as to why – based on this media outlet’s track record – may be only too obvious as well!
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The Daily Record article on knife crime amplifies demands for the use of ‘stop and search’ powers by Police Scotland. It takes untill the very last sentence of a long article for the reader to be told that “In relation to stop and search, police officers have the power to carry out stop and search and this is an operational matter for Police Scotland.” (Justice Secretary, Scottish Government)
But no reporting of current and recent trends in the use of ‘stop and search’ in Scotland and whether it is effective or not, no indication of what further powers are wanted by advocates; and no mention of the following – all of which would have ‘fostered informed public discourse’!
The Independent (November 25, 2018) ‘Stop and search has no real impact on reducing knife crime, research suggests – Exclusive: ‘Attempts to punish and prosecute our way out of knife crime are doomed to failure,’ researchers say.’
Here we learn: ‘Researchers from the Centre of Crime and Justice Studies examined data including a study commissioned by the Home Office – and concluded there was “limited evidence of the effectiveness of stop and search in reducing crime”.’ (my emphasis)
‘A Home Office study of targeted weapons searches in London found no statistically significant reductions in crime as a result of the intervention, and a College of Policing report looking at 10 years of Metropolitan Police data “found only a weak relationship between stop and search and overall levels of the types of crimes the practice aims to reduce”.’
And from the College of Policing (January 1, 2019) Interventions to reduce knife crime (https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/knife-crime-evidence-briefing/interventions-reduce-knife-crime )
‘Analysis over a ten-year period suggests stop and search has a marginal deterrent effect on violent crime rates overall (Tiratelli and others, 2018). An evaluation of a stop and search initiative aimed specifically at knife crime found no statistically significant crime reduction effects (McCandless and others, 2016), although the authors were not able to consider local targeting. Focused police patrol activity, including stops and stop and search, has been found to reduce crime in targeted violence hotspots in the US (Ratcliffe and others, 2011; Weisburd and others, 2015; MacDonald and others, 2016)’
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Apologies for ‘going on and on’ but the kind of journalism exemplified by the Daily Record today on tragic knife crimes is ‘motivating’!!! So finally, for the sake of completeness, this seems relevant.
The same College of Policing briefing referred to above, which casts doubt on the efficacy of ‘stop and search’, also states this on tackling knife crime:
‘… the best available evidence suggests the most effective approaches tend to be multi-faceted and involve prevention at the earliest opportunity and multi-agency collaborative working. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the value of public health approaches to addressing violence (Bellis and others, 2012), for example in Scotland.‘
‘In Scotland, the development of an approach involving the police, social services, youth and community services, offending and probation teams, the NHS and local voluntary organisations, seems to be achieving results – with violent crime reaching a 41-year low in 2017 (Linden, 2018).
‘The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit has developed a range of interventions focusing on preventing the onset and progression of violence, rehabilitating offenders, developing criminal justice approaches to reduce offending, and changing attitudes and behaviours on a societal, community and personal level.’
And the College of Policing is not alone in its view – ‘Tackling Knife Crime: Current Legislation and Policies’ (January 27, 2025) – from https://knives4lives.co.uk
‘Knife crime is a pressing issue in the UK, affecting communities, families, and young people. To tackle this problem, a multi-faceted approach involving public health strategies, multi-agency collaborations, and community-based interventions is essential. Here are some effective strategies and successful programs from around the UK:
‘Public health approaches to knife crime prevention focus on addressing the root causes of violence and promoting healthier communities. These strategies involve collaboration between various sectors, including healthcare, education, social services, and law enforcement. One notable example is the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). It has successfully reduced violent crime by adopting a public health model. The VRU collaborates with the police, social services, and youth and community services. It also works with the NHS and local voluntary organizations. Together, they prevent violence and rehabilitate offenders.
‘The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in Scotland has been particularly successful’.
For another up to date insight into addressing the carrying of knives and any propensity to violence specifically in the context of Scotland’s schools, this may be of interest:
Scottish Government (March 2025) Improving relationships and behaviour in schools: ensuring safe and consistent environments for all. Joint action plan 2024 – 2027, Progress Report.
The chapter entitled ‘Theme 5: Reducing violence and harm in schools‘ outlines the ongoing activities of organisations in Scotland, including button limited to:
Could more be done? As in any area of public policy, the answer is – usually is – obvious!
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This relentless British media diet of propaganda, bias, lies and misinformation is why Scotland should DECLARE itself as an independent country in exactly the same way as Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc —
A fair and honest referendum simply cannot be held in a country with the BBC, Hootsmon, Mail, Torygraf, Herald, Times of London et al as purveyors of information—they are not honest brokers and make no pretence to be that.
gavinochiltree
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To hear them talk after FMQs you’d be forgiven for thinking there were bloodied teenage bodies on every street in Scotland.
But where does the responsibility lie for primary school children carrying knives to school? Do parents no longer check their kids. You’d think they would notice the odd knife sticking out of a pocket.
This latest tragic teenage death is awful. I have teenage great grandsons and I would be devastated if they were the victim or the perpetrator. Two families whose lives are forever changed.
I also know, however, from being a parent a lifetime ago, how devious even the most disciplined and studious teenagers can be and how very difficult it is for parents during secondary school.
That said, the use of this, and other knife attacks, as a political weapon in the Scottish Parliament was quite sickening to watch.
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