Donal MacIntyre

GLASGOW'S shocking record on knife crime will be laid bare before a nationwide television audience in a documentary.

A 10-part series, presented by investigative journalist Donal Macintyre and called Macintyre's Toughest Towns, will open on Channel Five with a look at Glasgow's "frightening epidemic of knife attacks".
   
The programme, to be screened next week, features interviews with victims, the emergency services and local youths.

  
It follows extensive coverage in the Evening Times of the city's knife crime epidemic and our crime reporter Alex Robertson will appear on the programme.
   
Rudy Crawford, accident and emergency consultant at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, is interviewed and says the the hospital daily deals with the two or three knife attack victims.
   
Mr Crawford told the programme: "Glasgow is unique to what I would call the civilised world in terms of the scale and severity of knife injuries.
   
Violence is ingrained in communities – it is part and parcel of everyday lives. Until we can change that we will not see an end to the problem."
   
One youth told the programme: "Most young people carry knives. Every week you know of someone getting stabbed."
   
The youth, whose identity is concealed, said the lockback knife is the most popular weapon and claims drinking gives gangs "false courage".
   
The programme makers used crime figures from 2003, when the city was named the murder capital of the UK with 81 violent deaths.
   
Since then, police have established a violent crime reduction strategy to work with other agencies, including health and education, in tackling knife crime, among other things.
   
No mention is made of this in the programme, although it joins police and paramedics on patrol.
   
Inspector Gordon Cumming, of south side police, said knife-carrying among a hardcore of youths was a "big issue".
   
In 2003, south side police launched Operation Magnet and recovered 200 weapons, from kitchen knives to machetes, during 2500 searches.
   
The documentary points out the Victor Morris store in Argyle Street in the city centre sold 500 knives during the six-month police operation.
   
Martin Morris, who owns the store, admits to selling between 20 and 30 knives a week.
   
Mr Morris said: "I am not ashamed of anything we sell. I sell knives, which are only a weapon if used in an offensive and aggressive manner."
   
Knife crime victims on the programme include Chris Begley, 20, who featured in the Evening Times in June.
   
Macintyre's Toughest Towns will be shown on Wednesday at 11.10pm.

September 30, 2005
Evening Times
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5044039.html