Star comment: Stamp out increase in violence
Punch ups at New Year are nothing new. Ringing in a new year with a bout of fisticuffs is as festive as first footing and Auld Lang Syne, more’s the pity.
And while it seems counter-intuitive to hark back to a time when men greeted one another with what is colloquially known as a bunch of fives or a Glasgow Kiss, it seems society is becoming increasingly violent.
A thick head, a bruised eye or a split lip might have greeted the protagonists of New Year violence in yesteryear. But the trend for people to go out ‘tooled up’ means injuries these days are far more serious. Knives are habitual, hospitals greet casualties with a sense of inevitability.
Four people are on the mend after New Year stabbings – and we’re lucky that they’re still here to tell the tale. Things could have been much worse, lives could have been lost and police might well be looking at murder investigations. In other parts of the UK, they are.
The fact that stabbing victims should make a full recovery is entirely down to luck. Society is darker and more fraught than it has been for many years. And while there has never been an excuse for violence, the ferocity of attacks and the probability of injury is greater than before.
That is not to say society is more violent than ever. Historians might take us back to eras like the 14th century, for instance, when violent crime was exponentially higher than today.
And yet we cannot compare today’s modern era with life many centuries ago. For many people, the only realistic comparisons are within living memory.
And that’s why the frequency of stabbings is so unpalatable. People simply didn’t carry knives and guns a generation ago. They may have fought and it was ever wrong that they did. But they did not risk maiming or killing, as they do today.
Education, an amnesty, campaigns targeted at youngsters and greater police intelligence are among the answers. The police, local councils and others must work together to rid knives from our streets.
And courts must impose tougher sentences, sending a message to those who present a danger to society. New Year’s Eve should bring happiness. We should not look forward to a Violent New Year. Action must be taken quickly.
