Be cautious of the public health approach
Nathan Ward
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Historically, Scotland has stood out as having high levels of violence embedded in its communities, cultures of behaviour and gangs - whether they were regional youth or serious organised crime gangs.
The violence developed as part of a masculine identity that was rooted in heavy industry, alcohol dependence, sectarianism and wider social attitudes. Like many places, there was a strong association between violence and levels of poverty, inequality and vulnerability.
In recent years, there has been a shift in violence in Scotland which has been hailed as a success and desired to be replicated in England and Wales. The reason for the success is complicated and although commonly understood as a "public health approach", the evidence shows a number of causational factors.
The fall in violent crime was preceded by a large reduction in property crime which experts suggest prevented low level criminals developing into violent offenders. The largest reductions in violence were among young men fighting with knives in public places. As the location and consumption of alcohol sales shifted from the street to the home, we have seen a growth in sexual violence.
There has been no change in violence in the most deprived communities in Scotland.
Research suggests that initial heavy police enforcement using stop and search had a good but short-term effect on violence. In the following years, a number of schemes were launched at a community and national level, along with the introduction of a Violence Reduction Unit by Strathclyde police force.
Enforcement continued with increased use, and length of, custodial sentences, and the intensive targeting of violent offenders. A number of educational and empowerment projects were rolled out between 2005 and 2019, with the latest one being Heavy Sound Bus, sponsored by the Violence Reduction Unit. However, little evaluation has taken place of what worked, with it being hard to separate local and global factors of success.
Other reasons why violent crime has fallen could be linked to a success of alternative policies that were aimed at early intervention and prevention, such as the rejection of punitive youth justice polices in 2006 along with a 57 per cent decline in school exclusions.
Against this backdrop of success, Glasgow is still the 24th most violent city in Europe (out of 115) and has had far less success in reducing domestic based incidents. The approach has also seen an increase in inequality with victims of violence becoming more concentrated in terms of poverty and vulnerability.
Home Office data shows there has been a seven per cent rise in knife crime and a 11 per cent rise in robbery in England over the past year. When looking for answers to tackling youth violence, we should view the Scottish experience with caution. A public health approach sounds like it has great potential, but we must be clear about what exactly it is before we can assess whether it is the right solution for England.
- Nathan Ward is vicar of St Margaret's Church, Rainham, and former youth custody deputy director