Knife crime - 'Thugs must fear they will be caught'

tracy Smyth's appeal for tougher action on the scourge of knife crime could hardly be more timely.

Looking back at the terrible damage that blades have caused in our communities in the last fortnight alone is chilling.

The grim toll includes two murders and one attempted murder, as well as an elderly woman being stabbed in the street and a couple in their 70s being threatened with a knife in their bed. Attacks took place across the Lothians from Comely Bank to Tranent and the victims ranged in age from 17 to 75.

It is important to remember at times like these that Edinburgh is by and large a safe place to live. But although the chances of any one of us falling victim remain low, the consequences can be terrible for those who do.

It is now two years since Mrs Smyth's teenage daughter Sinead almost died after being stabbed with a chisel and she lives with the fall-out of that attack every day.

Her petition demanding mandatory jail sentences for anyone caught carrying a knife is already winning significant support online.

She is right to insist that decisive action is taken to keep our streets safe. Sentences handed down by the courts are an important part of that, though no single initiative on its own will solve the problem. The evidence from anti-knife crime projects around the world is that more intensive policing and properly targeted intervention, such as using stop and search powers at particular times and places, have proved most successful.

The fact is that no punishment will stop young thugs from carrying knives unless they genuinely fear there is a strong chance of getting caught. And, yes, that when they are caught they are very likely to lose their liberty.

Taxing times

the new business tax proposed for the Capital could be a "win-win" if the council can convince firms it will be a success.

The millions it would raise every year could go a long way towards ensuring a bright future for Edinburgh's festivals and selling the city to the world. That in turn could make the world of difference to the 1 billion-a-year tourism industry on which so much of the Capital's economy rests.

But, as Sir Alan Sugar might warn his Apprentices that business people never part with their money on a "wish and a prayer". And the struggles of Essential Edinburgh, the city's pioneering Business Improvement District, will not help to persuade them that their cash will be well spent.