NEW figures today revealed a sharp rise in the number of murders in Lothian & Borders in the past year.
The number of cases recorded in the force area increased from ten in 2005-6 to 16 in 2006-7. In Edinburgh alone, the number of cases rose from nine to 11.
Across Scotland, the figures showed a 27 per cent increase in homicides, from 94 in 2005-6 t
o 118 in 2006-7. But that is still lower than the peak year of 2004-5, when there were 134.
In Lothian & Borders, the number of murders hit a ten-year high of 22 in 2004-5, after remaining reasonably steady at between ten and 15 a year since 1997-8.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill responded to the figures by pledging there would be no let-up in efforts to tackle mindless violence and the "bevvy culture" which fuels it.
The statistics showed at least 30 per cent of Scots accused of homicide were drunk at the time of the offence, and that the most common method of killing was with a sharp object.
Mr MacAskill said: "A year ago, my predecessor in the last administration, said that despite a large fall in homicides in 2006 they had not turned the tide on violence. She was right.
"These figures show that in the year before this new Scottish Government came into power, homicides jumped again by a quarter. That is the scale of the challenge we have inherited.
"These depressingly familiar statistics show the long-term challenge we face. But this is not an issue for fatalism or political points scoring.
"The overall approach to tackling violence which was initiated under the last administration was the right one – tough enforcement initiatives on knives, on alcohol-fuelled violence and on gangs, backed by a long-term approach to educate and shift attitudes among young people. We intend to build on that."
He said the government was taking action to tackle Scotland's drinking culture by banning irresponsible promotions in off-sales, and looking at a "polluter pays" approach to dealing with the costs of alcohol misuse and bringing in separate display areas in shops and supermarkets.
"We also need to challenge the 'drink to get drunk' mentality of too many Scots," he said.
Mr MacAskill said knife crime was more prevalent than gun crime in Scotland and he pledged continued support for the work of the Violence Reduction Unit to challenge the links between alcohol, gangs and violence with an increasing emphasis on prevention, early intervention and changing attitudes to knife carrying.
Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said today's figures were appalling.
He claimed the fact that at least 30 per cent of those accused of homicide were drunk at the time of the offence was a damning indictment of the previous Labour- Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive's failure to get a grip over the past eight years.
He added: "I hope this sends a clear message to the new SNP government – emptying our prisons, breaking police recruitment pledges and turning early release into even earlier release is not going to make things better."
The full article contains 530 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
