Campaigners from town of Reamonn Gormley call for action on knife crime

Nov 3 2011 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

CAMPAIGNERS from the town of slain teenager Reamonn Gormley this week called for urgent action to tackle knife crime.

The Blantyre-based Campaign for Change group were speaking after the Scottish Government announced their ‘No Knives, Better Lives’ project will be rolled out across South Lanarkshire and five other areas.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill confirmed the move only a week after the Advertiser delivered an 11,000-strong ‘Hammer The Knife Thugs’ petition to the First Minister Alex Salmond.

The Advertiser launched the Hammer The Knife Thugs campaign, calling for tougher sentences for people carrying and using knives after Glasgow University student Reamonn was stabbed to death on February 1.

His killers, 22-year-old Daryn Maxwell and Barry Smith (18), will be sentenced at the High Court on Monday.

Both were on bail when they brutally killed Reamonn, who was the 12th person to die as a result of violence in Hamilton, Blantyre, Larkhall, Carluke and Bellshill in a 12-month period.

Instead of things improving since his death, the problem has got much worse.

Damning statistics revealed by the Advertiser showed that the police division that covers Hamilton, Blantyre and Larkhall, has become the ‘murder capital of Scotland’.

No other police division in Scotland between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011, had a higher murder count.

John Tierney, spokesman for Campaign For Change, said the project is long overdue and urged the Scottish Government to go further by introducing mandatory sentences for people carrying and using knives, similar to those announced last week for England and Wales.

“Is Scotland being left behind again?” he asked.

“More than 40,000 people in Scotland have signed various anti-knife campaigns in Scotland, but the Scottish Government still chooses to ignore these people.

“Everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet except the SNP government.

“And what about the young people just now who are leaving school, they are going to miss out on the No Knives, Better Lives campaign.

“The benefits of the campaign are going to take a while to come to fruition.

“What are the Scottish Government going to do now to tackle knife crime on our streets?

“We need to have a meeting again with the Justice Secretary Mr MacAskill, and this time we will be better prepared.”

Blantyre MSP James Kelly, Labour’s Justice spokesman, welcomed the project and hoped it would reduce the number of people carrying and using knives.

“I see this as one element in the package of measures in the fight against knife crime,” he added.

“If we are to send a really powerful message to our communities we need stronger action on sentencing.”

The No Knives, Better Lives campaign has credited for cutting knife crime in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire by 40 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse MSP Christina McKelvie said “the No Knives, Better Lives project is designed to stop people carrying knives by educating young people.

“Investment in knife education now will mean fewer victims in the future.

“It is my hope that with this programme we will now be able to divert our young people from carrying knives and make our communities safe again.”

A council spokesman said the local authority will continue to work in partnership with young people to develop effective initiative in schools and communities across South Lanarkshire

She added: “We welcome the opportunity to align the council’s ongoing programmes and projects which contribute to addressing issues and consequences surrounding knife crime as well as educating young people of the dangers of knife crime as part of the Scottish Government’s No Knives, Better Lives campaign.

“We will further develop our programme of diversionary activities for young people at targeted times in the evenings and weekends. We hope that by now branding our work under No Knives, Better Lives, it will further raise awareness of the excellent work already being undertaken in our schools and communities.

“And although there will be no additional funding made available, we hope to be able to use the campaign’s learning and teaching resources to complement our existing work.”