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Professor John Robertson OBA
BBC Scotland today have – Mother of alleged stabbing victim hands out kits to stop bleeding
It’s a heart-breaking but inspiring story of a mother’s courage. However, BBC Scotland is allegedly a news agency with a royal charter obliging it to inform us and part of that informing requires context. Is this common, is it less or more common here, is there a trend? First year journalism students would fail if their work had no context.
Here it is:
First, Murder by stabbing in Scotland has fallen in a steady trend to half of the level 6 years ago – From Knife crime statistics: FOI release, published today, we see that there were 49 homicides by knife in Scotland in 2017/2018 and that there has been a steady and significant fall to 25, in 2022/2023, the most recent data.1
Second, ‘teens’ are dying in ever fewer numbers. The above victim was 15 years old. There are no data for 13-19 year-olds but there is typically only 1 homicide victim in the 5-15 age range per year and the greatest reduction has been amongst victims aged 16-24. In the five year period from 2004-05 to 2008-09, there were 125 victims in this age range. This dropped to 29 across the latest five years period from 2019-20 to 2023-24.2
Third, Glasgow – Glasgow City has witnessed a relatively larger fall in homicides than Scotland as a whole in the last 20 years. Over the latest five year period from 2019-20 to 2023-24, there have been 47 homicides in Glasgow, a 71% reduction compared to 162 for the five year period from 2004-05 to 2008-09. This compares to a 49% reduction in Scotland as a whole between these periods.2
Fourth knife possession – there is no epidemic (here) –
Finally, England and Wales – 94% increase in Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the last 10 years. 55,008 Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.3
Sources:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Remember, Reform’s current campaign is “Lawless Britain”, so BBC “Scotland” has to do its part. It also has to maintain the fiction of ‘No Mean City’.
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Knife deaths in London increased 200 a year because of austerity. London the knife capital
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BBC lies
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Thanks John for the research and findings on knife crime. Its just a pity the BBC Scotland cannot do the same 🙂
OK, I know that really they have no intention of portraying anything positive about Scotland, its people and achievements unless by accident right enough!
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