Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Police chiefs have vowed to end knife crime after a spike in murders, attempted murders and serious assaults across Renfrewshire.

A stark new report has revealed that serious violent crime has risen by nearly 13 per cent compared to last year.

Communities have been rocked by the killings of five people in 2017.

Alyson Watt, Johnny Mcewan, James McFall, Steven Quail and Craig McLelland all lost their lives to violence.

PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS: Live news as it happens

Dozens more were left in hospital after being targeted by armed thugs.

The sharp increase in serious violence has led to extra cops being drafted in from across Scotland to police the streets.

And last night, Paisley Chief Inspector Martin Gallagher said those officers were focused of ridding communities of deadly blades.

He told the Paisley Daily Express: “I believe the rise in serious violent crime is the result of people carrying weapons.

“Over this year, we have recovered twice the number of weapons as we did the previous year.

“Violence is not on the rise — serious violence is — and we’re committed to stopping those who are on our streets armed with knives and weapons.”

Detectives in Renfrewshire have dealt with five more murders, four more attempted murders and five extra serious assaults in comparison to the previous year.

Police Scotland updated Renfrewshire Council on the region’s crime picture this week, which highlighted a marked rise in violent crime.

The report noted: “The current reporting period has seen a sharp rise in serious violence in Paisley.

“This is contrary to the long-term crime pattern for the town.”

The report adds that the violence is in line with the overall UK statistics.

It notes: “Although it is too early to speculate as to whether this is an overall upward trend, this change should be seen in the context of a nationwide increase in serious violent crime.”

A weekend of mayhem engulfed Paisley in May, leaving two men dead and three others with serious injuries.

James McFall, 30, was murdered in Argyle Street, while a 37-year-old man was found with stab wounds.

Just hours before, popular Paisley man Johnny Mcewan, 33, was attacked in the town’s New Street following an night out with friends and he later died from his injuries.

Officers say they have increased their presence in both Argyle Street and the town centre following the incidents.

A man was charged with the murder of charity worker Alyson Watt, 52, and the attempted murder of a 16-year-old boy in the Ralston area in June.

The town was also rocked by the shocking murder of dad-of-three Craig McLelland in July.

The 30-year-old was stabbed to death as he walked to his friend’s house in Tweed Avenue, Foxbar.

Detectives from the Major Investigations Team have repeatedly appealed for information on brutal slaying.

A 33-year-old man was charged over the death of Steven Quail, 42, who died after being stabbed in his home in Johnstone in February.

On May 20, a 39-year-old was stabbed on a busy McGill’s bus while it stopped in Neilston Road, Paisley, as terrified passengers looked on. A 41-year-old man was charged with attempted murder over the incident.

The report from local police chiefs to councillors also revealed that officers from other policing areas had to be drafted in to bolster patrols in the Shortroods area of the town following a brutal rape in November last year.

The added patrols were put in place to reassure the public over safety concerns.

The report also highlighted how Renfrewshire cops scored several major success over the last 12 months in their bid to tackle serious and organised crime.

They mounted a major drugs bust at an address in Mossvale Square, Paisley, resulting in the seizure of six ounces of heroin, nearly 500 tablets, believed to be Etizolam, and £870 in cash. A man was charged over supplying heroin.

Officers are also working hard to prevent organised crime and drug dealing in Renfrew, Johnstone and the surrounding villages.

The report notes: “Local community policing officers are actively engaging with known nominals and actively engaging on intelligence provided by the local community.”

Sexual offences are a major priority for the force and again they have managed to secure several high profile convictions over the last year.

In May, John Moore was sentenced to 10 years behind bars at the High Court in Edinburgh over a catalogue of sexual abuse which took place between 2002 and 2010 and addresses in Paisley, Linwood, Kilmarnock and Glasgow. This was reported to and probed by the Divisional Rape Investigation Unit in 2015.

Just a day later, Stanislaw Merdacz, a Polish national, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment at the High Court in Glasgow over a brutal rape in Merksworth Way, Paisley, on November 27, 2016.

The Public Space CCTV system, operated by Renfrewshire Council provided crucial and compelling evidence in the case.

Chief Inspector Gallagher went on: "While these statistics are disappointing, they must be looked at in context which shows that there is not a rise in violence across Renfrewshire — we’ve actually recorded 73 less common assaults this year - but there has been an increase in serious violence.

“I believe that is down to the number of people carrying weapons, because as soon as a knife is involved the attack becomes a serious assault, or worse.

“So far this year, we have seen double the number of weapons recovered from the street compared to last year, which is a concern.”

He added: “What I would like to tell the public is that we are committed to targeting those who carry weapons and remove them from our streets.

“We have previously publicised the great work our town centre CCTV team have carried out in targeting offenders and that work will continue across the division until we get the message through to those who carry weapons.”

MORE LOCAL NEWS:

MORE LOCAL NEWS:

MORE LOCAL NEWS: