General · 29 June 2026
Scotland halved murders by treating violence as disease
Scotland, once called Europe's murder capital, drastically cut violent crime by shifting its approach to a public health problem. In 2008, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit held a court session for 85 rival Glasgow gang members to confront the impact of their actions. This new strategy, focusing on prevention and intervention, helped reduce the homicide rate by 56% in Glasgow and 38% across Scotland over the following decade.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs