Two a day caught carrying weapon on streets

TWO people are caught carrying an offensive weapon on the streets of Edinburgh every day, new police figures revealed today.

The figures also show that the number of people charged with possessing a knife in public has risen by 35 per cent in just three years.

Police today said the increase in charges was largely down to stricter law enforcement, with more patrols targeting and catching knife carriers.

Officers in the Capital have conducted a string of operations aimed at reducing knife crime, including searches on buses and outside nightclubs using metal detectors.

Among the offensive weapons seized by officers last year were baseball bats, stun guns, syringes, bottles, belts and a sock containing snooker balls.

The latest figures, which were released by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill in a parliamentary answer, showed that 261 people were caught carrying a blade between April 2007 and March last year, compared with 171 in 2004/5. Another 462 other offensive weapons were recovered from individuals last year, bringing the weapons total to 723.

But the figures do represent a drop on the previous year, when 287 blades and 462 offensive weapons were involved.

Legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2006 doubled the maximum jail sentence for carrying knives to four years. The Scottish Government said it remained committed to tackling the problem through "tough enforcement combined with work to educate and change attitudes".

Lothian Tory MSP Gavin Brown, who asked the parliamentary question, said: "We've a very serious problem with knife crime and it's time to take further action. Our position is that there ought to be a presumption in favour of a custodial sentence when someone is caught with a knife."

Solicitor General for Scotland, Frank Mulholland QC, yesterday said that tougher guidelines for police and prosecutors meant "those caught carrying knives are being taken off the streets more quickly and kept in custody for longer".

Mr Mulholland unveiled figures showing that more than 600 knife carriers in Scotland have been prosecuted on indictment rather than summary complaint, allowing a greater sentencing power for the judge.

Meanwhile, convictions have been recorded in more than three-quarters of concluded cases, with 78 per cent of these convictions resulting in imprisonment.

A police spokeswoman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime. The rise in the number of people caught in possession of a knife is testament to the proactive approach we are taking to make sure our communities can live without the fear of violent crime, with targeted initiatives as part of a number of ongoing campaigns.

"We believe the force has a key role to play in prevention through enforcement. The Edinburgh violence reduction programme and the Unight scheme are a vital part of this, both acting as deterrents and making carrying a knife socially unacceptable."