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Britain
Scotland tops list of world's most violent countries
2005-09-19
A UNITED Nations report has labelled Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, with people three times more likely to be assaulted than in America.
Quagmire!
England and Wales recorded the second highest number of violent assaults while Northern Ireland recorded the fewest.
WTF? Northern Ireland?
The study, based on telephone interviews with victims of crime in 21 countries, found that more than 2,000 Scots were attacked every week, almost ten times the official police figures. They include non-sexual crimes of violence and serious assaults. Violent crime has doubled in Scotland over the past 20 years and levels, per head of population, are now comparable with cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg and Tbilisi.

The attacks have been fuelled by a “booze and blades” culture in the west of Scotland which has claimed more than 160 lives over the past five years. Since January there have been 13 murders, 145 attempted murders and 1,100 serious assaults involving knives in the west of Scotland. The problem is made worse by sectarian violence, with hospitals reporting higher admissions following Old Firm matches.
Drunken Scottish soccer hooligans, rampaging through the streets, swinging their claymores, looping off heads. Ah, brings a tear to me eye
David Ritchie, an accident and emergency consultant at Glasgow’s Victoria Infirmary, said that the figures were a national disgrace. “I am embarrassed as a Scot that we are seeing this level of violence. Politicians must do something about this problem. This is a serious public health issue. Violence is a cancer in this part of the world,” he said. Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Strathclyde Police’s violence reduction unit, said the problem was chronic and restricting access to drink and limiting the sale of knives would at least reduce the problem.
Cut off their scotch if you really want to see violence
The study, by the UN’s crime research institute, found that 3 per cent of Scots had been victims of assault compared with 1.2 per cent in America and just 0.1 per cent in Japan, 0.2 per cent in Italy and 0.8 per cent in Austria. In England and Wales the figure was 2.8 per cent.
Scotland was eighth for total crime, 13th for property crime, 12th for robbery and 14th for sexual assault. New Zealand had the most property crimes and sexual assaults, while Poland had the most robberies.
Chief Constable Peter Wilson, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, questioned the figures. “It must be near impossible to compare assault figures from one country to the next based on phone calls,” he said. “We have been doing extensive research into violent crime in Scotland for some years now and this has shown that in the vast majority of cases, victims of violent crime are known to each other. We do accept, however, that, despite your chances of being a victim of assault being low in Scotland, a problem does exist.”
Posted by:Steve

#14  Me bullshit detector's a wee bit engaged, lads. New Zealand has more sexual assaults than South Africa, one-third of whose adult female population has been raped? I think not. This study sounds like another example of "fake, but accurate." Make that inaccurate, too.
Posted by: thibaud (aka lex)   2005-09-19 23:03  

#13  Speaking of Scottish dirks and kilts:

A Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
And one could tell by how he walked he'd drunk more than his share
He staggered on until he could no longer keep his feet
Then stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.

Ring ding diddle diddle i de o
Ring di diddle i o
He stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.

Later on two young and lovely girls just happened by,
And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye
You see yon sleeping Scotsman who is young and handsome built
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt.

Ring ding diddle diddle i de o
Ring di diddle i o
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt.

They crept up to the sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be
Then lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see
And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt
Was nothing but what God had graced him with upon his birth

Ring ding diddle diddle i de o
Ring di diddle i o
There was nothing there but what God gave upon his birth

They marveled for a moment then one said we'd best be gone
But let's leave a present for our friend before we move along
They took a blue silk ribbon and they tied it in a bow
Around the bonnie spar that the Scot's lifted kilt did show

Ring ding diddle diddle i de o
Ring di diddle i o
Around the bonnie spar that the Scot's lifted kilt did show

The Scotsman woke to nature's call and stumbled toward a tree
Behind a bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees
Then in a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes
He said, "Lad I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize"

Ring ding diddle diddle i de o
Ring di diddle i o
He said, "Lad I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize"
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-09-19 21:25  

#12  "Yar...we're with the Glasgow Defenestration Corps"
Posted by: Frank G   2005-09-19 21:09  

#11  The last time I wore my kilt someone asked me if those were my legs or was I riding a chicken.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-09-19 20:39  

#10  "limiting the sale of knives would at least reduce the problem"

As Archie Bunker said about gun control: "Would you feel better if they were pushed down the stairs?"
Posted by: Xbalanke   2005-09-19 19:03  

#9  Ban knives and they will start using pipes. Ban pipes and they will use bricks. Ban bricks and they they will use rocks and then everyone there will be without sewage and houses.
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-09-19 18:43  

#8  "limiting the sale of knives would at least reduce the problem"

Yeah, but what about pointy sticks ... or fresh fruit.
Posted by: DMFD   2005-09-19 18:36  

#7  This is a shock? You have to be tough to wear a kilt.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2005-09-19 17:55  

#6  Good catch, PD... The distinction that makes all the difference.

Now where are innocents dying in droves? PD nails it, again: wherever civilization rubs up against Islam.
Posted by: .com   2005-09-19 17:44  

#5  Scotland the most violent country in the developed world

not sure what the most violent country is in the undeveloped world, but I know it's run by muslims.
Posted by: PlanetDan   2005-09-19 17:26  

#4  And they'll be needing a haggis registry...
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-09-19 16:59  

#3  "limiting the sale of knives would at least reduce the problem"

They'll just start pushing people out of windows then.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2005-09-19 16:56  

#2  The sheeple need to raise up and get their guns back.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2005-09-19 15:21  

#1  Reads like a Monty Python skit....
Posted by: borgboy   2005-09-19 15:06  

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