Hospitals to record violent crime figures
GLASGOW hospitals will, by the end of 2012, record all violent injuries as a matter of procedure.
NHS figures show that, currently, up to 70 per cent of fights go unreported to police.
It is hoped that introducing injury surveillance will provide a complete picture of assaults and attacks with knives and bottles across the city — and allow police to target violence hotspots.
The scheme was first piloted in the neighbouring Lanarkshire health board, where the previously unreported crime figures were obtained.
Detective chief superintendent John Carnochan, of the violence reduction unit, commented: “Official police figures are largely a measure of our activity, not what is really happening.
“We would like to have two sets of figures — one of our own and another from the hospitals.
“We are not asking the hospitals for the names and addresses of people who were hurt in fights.
“However, we do want medics to tell our analysts the areas in which people are being attacked and whether a weapon or drink was involved”.
A spokeswoman for NHS GGC stated that the system will be fully operational by the end of the year, and added: “We continue to work closely with the violence reduction unit on trying to devise and develop local initiatives that help reduce violent incidents across Greater Glasgow and Clyde”.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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