Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the reply. The figures I have received indicate a 10% increase in hospitalisation cases arising from knife crimes such as stabbings over the past two years. It is also my understanding that in 2019 over 2,000 knives were seized by gardaí but it is interesting that in the first six months of 2020, part of which involved the Covid-19 lockdown, there were 1,200 knives seized, an increase of 13%. This is of concern to me and my colleagues. My understanding is that in other jurisdictions, major programmes have been put in place to deal with this issue. In Scotland, for example, a major programme was implemented to deal with knife crime that has contributed to a reduction of over 50% in homicides arising from people using knives. Could we aim such a programme at young people and community groups in order to help get the message across on the use of knives?

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