Initiative has seen number of armed youths drop by 25%

A pilot scheme which has cut knife-carrying by almost one-quarter in Inverclyde is to be rolled out in Glasgow.

The city’s schoolchildren will taught about the dangers of knives and offered alternatives such as street football.

Despite double the number of police searches in the area, knife-carrying went down 23% from June 2009 to January 2010 in Inverclyde where the No Knives, Better Lives pilot has been running. Violent crime was also significantly reduced.

In Glasgow a mobile street-football league will run across the city.

Geographical hotspots have been identified by Glasgow Community and Safety Services (GCSS) working with Strathclyde Police. The £500,000 pilot was funded by the Scottish Government and will also be rolled out in Edinburgh and Clackmannanshire.

The evaluation of the programme found that some 39% of 15 to 17-year-olds said they know someone who carries a knife.

One Gourock boy in S4 said: “I carried it just in case. I didn’t go out thinking ‘right, I’ll go and find someone to plug’ ... it was just in case someone does pull a blade or bat on you.”

Some 29% said the problem has got worse recently, 20% said it has improved and some 45% said it is about the same.

Of the 214 children asked, about 33% of the girls and 29% of the boys said they know a knife carrier. More than 80% had seen the advertising campaign and 74% ultimately agreed that carrying a knife can hurt friends and family.

The move follows failed attempts by Labour and the Tories to introduce mandatory sentences for those caught carrying knives. Their amendments to the Scottish Criminal justice bill were narrowly defeated last week.

Many of the young people questioned already thought there were mandatory prison sentences of up to 10 years for being caught carrying a knife.

However, many said the greatest influence in deciding not to seemed to be the impact it could have on friends and family.

One boy in Port Glasgow said: “The main messages are that, if you don’t carry a knife, you’ll not get the jail and you won’t harm other people’s lives – if you stab somebody, it affects their whole family because they die.”

The intitiative uses a range of programmes within schools and the community to explain the impact knife-carrying can have.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “The No Knives, Better Lives initiative has had a real impact in Inverclyde, with 90% of the community seeing it as worthwhile. It is also incredibly encouraging that the local police have seen a 23% drop in the number of young people found carrying a knife.”

Councillor Jim Coleman, convenor of GCSS, said: “We will be delivering programmes in schools to raise awareness of the serious consequences of becoming involved in antisocial and criminal behaviour hand-in-hand with mobile diversionary activities throughout the city.

“Violence and crime have a serious impact on our communities, and we need to work together to send a clear message to the small minority who break the law that their behaviour will not be tolerated in our society.”

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Violence Reduction Unit, said: “Violence impacts on us all. No matter where we live, what we do or who we are, the far-reaching consequences will have an impact on our lives. That’s why it’s important young people are taught about the dangers of weapon-carrying.”