More context as to what motivates Marvin.
Sorry to be a bit off topic.
Scotland tops UN danger list with 'booze and blades' culture
NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN
SCOTLAND is the most violent country in the developed world, according to a new report from the United Nations.
When murder is excluded, Scots are almost three times more likely to be the victims of assault than Americans, while England and Wales have proportionately the second highest number of attacks.
The study, based on telephone interviews with victims of crime in 21 countries, found that more than 2,000 Scots are attacked every week.
Scotland now tops the list as the world's most dangerous place, ahead also of Australia and New Zealand in joint third place.
The crimes covered by the figures include assaults, although they exclude muggings on the streets, sexually-related violence and homicides.
They reveal the level of violent attacks in Scotland are nearly 10 times higher than police figures suggest.
In the past 20 years, violent crime has doubled in Scotland to reach a level comparable with 'third world' cities such as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which are traditionally regarded as much more dangerous.
Experts believe the rise in violence has been fuelled by a "booze and blades" culture in Scotland, which sees the worst violence coming from young males aged between 15 and 25.
According to the UN study, 3% of Scots had been victims of violence, compared with 2.8% in England and Wales and 2% in the United States.
Japan was the least violent country with just 0.1% being attacked, followed by Italy, Portugal, Austria and then the Netherlands.
Jan Van Dijk, head of analysis at the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Unit, said: "Our survey is more accurate than the official figures because there is a huge proportion of crimes that go unreported.
"We have seen a trend in Scotland and the proportion has almost doubled since 1989 and risen from 19% in 1996. This is very significant and is a clear upward trend."
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 145 attempted murders and 1,100 serious assaults with knives in Scotland. But a recent audit of Glasgow hospital departments showed that only half of stabbings had been reported to the police.
Recent victims include a 14-year-old schoolboy from Glasgow, who lost an eye after he was hit in the face with a bottle during an unprovoked attack. A 17-year-old girl from Edinburgh was left unconscious after being punched, kicked and stamped on by a gang of girls.
The disturbing rise in 'happy slappy' attacks, where youths film assaults on victims on their mobile phones, has also contributed to the growing culture of violence.
Many attacks go unreported, but with clips of the incidents being shared between the thugs, they are becoming increasingly violent.
David Ritchie, an accident and emergency consultant at Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary, said that the UN figures were a "national disgrace".
He said: "There is a culture of violence in this country. You can buy a crossbow in the city centre, a knife with a 12-inch blade, a machete. What message does that send out?"
The UN study backs up the results of an investigation from earlier this year carried out by the think-tank Civitas, which found that the UK had one of the world's highest crime rates.
It described the rise of crime in Britain as "so spectacular it was difficult to comprehend".
First Minister Jack McConnell has pledged to clamp down on knife crime in Scotland with a five-point programme including a licensing scheme for retailers.
He is also aiming to make it much harder for dangerous criminals to qualify for bail while they are accused of violent crimes.
But police believe the country's culture of heavy drinking is the main reason behind the rising levels of thuggery.
Commander Chris Allison, head of the alcohol and licensing group at the Association of Chief Police Officers, said police were struggling to cope with the amount of drink-fuelled violence.
He said: "All we are ever dealing with is people who have drunk too much. We are having to keep a lid on that symptom, every night of every week in every town and village up and down the country."
Related topic
* Law and Order
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=307This article:
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1957512005Last updated: 17-Sep-05 00:38 BST
