capital of Europe. There were dozens of knife attacks a week,
including numerous incidents of notorious ‘Glasgow smiles’ being
slashed into people’s cheeks. What’s more, the violence was far more
widespread than police figures suggested. When Karyn McCluskey,
head of intelligence analysis at Strathclyde Police, looked at hospital
records, it became clear that most incidents weren’t even being
reported.[28]
McCluskey’s findings – and accompanying recommendations – led
to the creation of the Violence Reduction Unit, which she would head
up for the following decade. Borrowing techniques from Cure
Violence and other US projects, such as Boston’s Operation
Ceasefire, the unit introduced a range of public health ideas to tackle
the spread of violence.[29] This included interruption approaches, like
monitoring A&E departments for victims of violence to discourage
potential revenge attacks. It also involved helping gang members
move into training and employment, while taking a tough stance
against those who chose to continue with violence. There were
longer-term measures too, like providing support for vulnerable
children to halt the transmission of violence from generation to the
next. Although there is still more to be done, the initial results have
been promising; following its introduction, the unit has been linked
with a major drop in violent crime.[30]
Since 2018, London has been working on a similar initiative to
tackle what has been described as an ‘epidemic’ of knife crime in the
city. If it is to succeed like Glasgow, it will require strong links between
police, communities, teachers, health services, social workers, and
the media. It will also need continued investment, given the often
complex, deep-rooted nature of the problem. ‘It’s about putting money
where your mouth is in terms of prevention, and understanding that
you may not see a really quick return on it,’ McCluskey told The
Independent shortly before the London project launched.[31]
Sustaining investment can be tough for public health approaches.
Despite growing acceptance elsewhere, funding for the original Cure
Violence programme in Chicago has remained sporadic, with several
cutbacks over the years. Slutkin said attitudes to violence are