HE has gone from solving Glasgow murders to chatting to midwives about how important it is to cuddle babies.

But John Carnochan reckons he is fighting the same fight against Scotland's scourge of violence.

The veteran former detective chief superintendent has been appointed to the school of medicine at Scotland's poshest university, St Andrews.

His job: to help research violence as a public health issue and talk to health professionals about it.

Mr Carnochan said: "When I began my career as a police officer back in 1974, I don't think anyone would have imagined one day a police officer would be standing on stage talking to a conference full of midwives about the importance of cuddling your child when it comes to preventing violence."

The former police chief led Strathclyde's Violence Reduction Unit – a team that was eventually to go nationwide and develop some of the smart tactics that have helped drive down offending north of the border. His former deputy, Karyn McCluskey, now runs the unit but he'll still be on hand.

He said: "The fact the VRU can and is doing that kind of work shows just how far we in Scotland have come in our understanding of violence and what can be done to resolve it.

"I am immensely proud of everything we have achieved as a unit in the past eight years.

"I know Karyn and the team will continue that and I am delighted to be able to continue working with them in my new role at St Andrews.

"We have some of the best research in the world into violence reduction and prevention here in Scotland – and one of the most effective delivery systems in the shape of our police forces and public services.

"I'm excited to be taking on a role that will help us turn the best thinking in our universities into best practice in our communities."

Mr Carnochan has been appointed to St Andrews to help apply the latest findings in violence reduction and prevention research to the development and delivery of new public health strategies in Scotland.

Under Professor Peter Donnelly, the university has led a number of research programmes looking at violence reduction and prevention strategies in Scotland and overseas and works closely with the award-winning VRU.

"I am delighted we have been able to recruit someone of John Carnochan's standing and experience to St Andrews," said Professor Donnelly.

"In this role he will make a very valuable contribution to the ongoing work of the university on violence reduction and enhancing our knowledge exchange submissions to the Research Excellence Framework."

The core of his philosophy was that violence was as much a public health problem as a justice problem.

He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2007. In 2010 he and Karyn were made Fellows By Distinction of the Faculty Of Public Health.

Mr Carnochan led the investigation into the still unsolved double murder of John Hall and David McIntosh – two petty criminals found on a dirt track in Larkhall in 2001.

Other high-profile cases included the murder of 13-year-old Tracy Main in the Gorbals in 1980.

Thomas Docherty, who was said to have an IQ of 50, was sent to the State Hospital at Carstairs after being cleared of her killing on a technicality.

david.leask@ eveningtimes.co.uk

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