THE Scottish executive is to set up a network of dedicated knife-crime courts in an effort to tackle the “booze and blades” culture that has made Scotland the most violent country in the developed world.

Criminals who use blades and other weapons will be fast-tracked through the specialist courts, preventing them from carrying out further attacks while on bail.

Following a successful pilot project in Greenock, where knife crime fell by a third in six months, the scheme is to be rolled out across the country.

Criminals found in possession of knives, or accused of crimes involving weapons, will be cited to appear at the special courts, which will sit every fortnight.

Currently, offenders have to wait about 12 months between entering a not-guilty plea and being tried. The wait at the knife-crime courts will be less than eight weeks.

To ensure consistent sentencing, all the cases will be dealt with by the same sheriff and suspects will face stricter bail conditions.

Between the launch of the Greenock knife court last June and the end of the year, the number of serious assaults involving knives and other weapons fell by a third, from 37 in the same period the year before, to 23. The number of arrests for possessing a knife or other weapon dropped from 99 to 54.

The court, the first of its kind in Scotland, is a joint venture between Strathclyde police, the Crown Office and and Scottish Court service.

“People have got the message,” said Moira Ramage, district procurator fiscal for Greenock. “They are less likely to go out carrying a knife because the chances are they will be caught and if they are caught they will be subject to fairly stringent bail conditions.

“The clear message is that these people will be dealt with differently.”

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Strathclyde police violence reduction unit, said: “The results from the first six months are extremely encouraging. This demonstrates visible and swift justice, which is crucial if communities are to support initiatives like this one.”

The fast-track knife courts are among a raft of anti- violence measures being considered by ministers. Others include stiffer penalties for possessing a knife, the doubling of maximum sentences for possessing a knife and the raising of the minimum age for buying a non-domestic knife to 18.

Official figures released earlier this month revealed that in 2003 only two offenders out of 2,800 were given the maximum sentence for possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. There were 137 killings in Scotland last year, the highest level in a decade. Most were carried out with knives and committed in and around Glasgow.

The statistics were published in the wake of a United Nations study showing that Scotland is the most violent country in the developed world.

Superintendent David Stewart, of Strathclyde police, who was involved in setting up the weapons court in Greenock, said the scheme was prompted by widespread fear of knife crime among the public.

“Although we have a relatively small number of incidents of serious violent crime, a good proportion of them involve the use of weapons — everything from knives to baseball bats, knuckle-dusters, golf clubs and bottles,” he said.

“We wanted people arrested with weapons to be dealt with with greater consistency and to impact on the cycle of re-offending.”

An executive spokesman said Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, had visited the weapons court last year. “We share public concerns about the incidence of knife crime, particularly in the west of Scotland,” said a spokeswoman. “That’s why reducing violent crime and tackling Scotland’s booze and blade culture is at the forefront of our drive to improve public safety.

“We will learn the lessons of what works, by starting where violence hits hardest and looking at whether such measures should be rolled out in other parts of Scotland.”

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