Fears raised as police reveal huge increase in knife crime

The number of people carrying a knife in Renfrewshire has soared in a situation police chiefs have described as “really concerning”.

- EDEL KENEALY

Data, published by Police Scotland on Tuesday, has shown 379 bladed weapons offences were recorded in Renfrewshire in the past 11 months.

The figure represents a 31 per cent increase on the same April to February period in the previous financial year.

In a meeting of Renfrewshire Council's police and fire & rescue scrutiny sub-committee this week, Councillor Janis McDonald, the Labour representative for Paisley Northwest, said parents would have grave concerns over the apparent increase.

Explaining young people themselves often feel pressured into carry weapons for their own protection, Councillor McDonald said: “The level of knives is quite concerning - although we are not maybe seeing that borne out in knife [injuries] as such.