Knife crime soars 50% in 4 years (meat cleavers & samurai swords also popular in gun-free Scotland)

THE number of people caught carrying knives and other deadly weapons in Edinburgh has risen by 50 per cent in four years, shocking new figures today revealed.

A total of 430 crimes involving possession of weapons were recorded last year in the city compared to 283 in 1999 - an increase of 51.9 per cent, according to statistics released by the Scottish Executive.

However, the biggest rise in the country was in West Lothian, where 124 crimes were recorded last year compared to 66 in 1999 - an 87 per cent hike.

In contrast, only ten per cent more cases have been recorded across the country, from 4805 in 1999 to 5276 last year.

Knives are understood to account for the vast majority of incidents, although meat cleavers and samurai swords are among a wide array of weapons seized.

Midlothian has seen a 32 per cent hike from 46 to 61 cases, while in East Lothian the rise was 4.5 per cent from 44 to 46.

Although Glasgow has only seen a 16 per cent increase, the number of people caught carrying weapons has remained consistently high, rising from 1429 in 1999 to 1653 in 2003.

Lothian and Borders Police today said they were concerned about the number of people carrying knives and other weapons. But they insisted the figures reflected "proactive police work" being carried out in the region.

The force has instigated several initiatives designed to reduce crime, including taking part in the Safer Scotland campaign, which involves extensive use of stop-and-search powers. Other initiatives include a higher police presence on the streets. As part of this year’s Safer Scotland campaign, launched last month, police have been making regular spot-checks for knives and other dangerous weapons in Edinburgh. A recent stop-and-search operation of 2000 people in the Capital recovered 75 weapons.

Officers said a variety of weapons have been seized on the city’s streets including meat cleavers, lock-knives, kitchen knives, machetes and samurai swords. Knives of various kinds pose the biggest problem.

Yesterday, a nine-inch knife was recovered as officers visited Edinburgh Airport to encourage passengers to surrender dangerous objects.

SNP justice spokesman and Lothians MSP Kenny MacAskill branded the new figures "disturbing", and said that while the statistics reflected "effective policing", they were also a frightening reminder of how many people are carrying weapons.

"Knife carrying has long been perceived as being a west of Scotland problem," he said. "Now it is a Scottish disease. The figures for Edinburgh and West Lothian in particular are dreadful. This is partly due to effective policing but it is also symptomatic of a culture of carrying knives.

"We have to make it clear that knife carrying, irrespective of why, who or where, is simply unacceptable."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "This rise reflects the proactive approach taken by our officers over the past few years of specifically targeting people carrying offensive weapons.

"We have had a number of successful operations such as Avalanche and the current Safer Scotland campaign, which has seen targeted patrols in and around the city. This has resulted in a number of weapons being seized. Another method we use quite frequently are metal-detecting archways in clubs and bars and hand-held detectors."

Edinburgh South MSP and Lib Dem justice spokesman Mike Pringle said: "The substantial increase in the figures shows that more people are being caught, and therefore charged, for carrying offensive weapons.

"Clearly it does show there is still a serious issue and we need to be dealing with that. We need to keep up the pressure."

This will soon be a national news story. This time it was a HATCHET.

$32,000 loan upset victim of homicide E-mail reveals friction between slain father, son at private university

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer
First published: Friday, November 19, 2004

BETHLEHEM -- Tension over a $32,000 high-interest loan taken out by the son of a couple brutally attacked in their home this week is one of the reasons investigators have focused on the activities of the son, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Christopher Porco, 21, was a student at the University of Rochester. He left the school last spring, college officials confirmed Thursday. He briefly took classes at Hudson Valley Community College but wanted to return to Rochester this fall, the source said.

Friends of the parents told investigators Christopher Porco arranged for a loan to re-enroll this semester. It was unclear how he was able to obtain the loan without collateral or a co-signer.

Officials learned that Christopher and his father, Peter R. Porco, exchanged a series of e-mails over the loan situation. The father was upset because the loan carried a high interest rate, unlike a college tuition-assistance loan. But tuition-assistance loans require a parent's signature.

"We interviewed people who are close to the family, people close to Peter," the source said. "We talked to them first as to what was going on and then eventually asked if there were any problems at home and any problems with the kids."

When Peter R. Porco, 52, didn't show up for work Monday at the Albany County Courthouse where he was law clerk to Anthony V. Cardona, the presiding justice of the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, a court officer went to his 36 Brockley Drive home in Delmar.

Porco's bludgeoned body was found at the foot of the stairs on the first floor. He was nearly decapitated.

His wife Joan, 54, was in an upstairs bedroom. Sources said a hatchet was used in the attacks. Her face was battered and her jaw broken, sources said. She underwent more than 12 hours of surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital Monday. She remains in serious condition and is sedated and unable to be interviewed by detectives.

Police have refused to call Christopher Porco a suspect, but their actions indicate they are closely examining his activities before and after the attack.

They seized the student's 2004 Jeep Wrangler in Rochester and had it towed back to the area where it was combed over by State Police forensics investigators. Authorities also reviewed his E-ZPass records and Thruway toll tickets and interviewed other students at the University of Rochester, about 230 miles away.

Several television stations reported Wednesday night that his arrest was imminent.

"I wouldn't characterize him as a suspect," District Attorney Paul Clyne said Wednesday. "He's a person who possesses a lot of relevant information."

Christopher was released after several hours of questioning by Bethlehem detectives Monday night. He has visited his mother daily at the hospital.

When the Times Union called his dormitory room Monday, he said he was unaware his parents had been attacked and claimed he spent Monday in Rochester.

People who know Christopher said he wouldn't be involved.

"He's the all-American kid," said John Kearney, co-owner of Bethlehem Veterinary Hospital, where Porco often worked. "The hardest working, gentlest, kindest, most conscientious kid you will ever meet. I don't know anyone who knows him who thinks he could have been involved (in the attack on the Porcos). I just don't think he is emotionally capable."

The couple's other son, Jonathan, 23, is stationed with the Navy in South Carolina. He was interviewed Tuesday night and again Thursday. He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he was in the Navy ROTC program and earned an engineering degree.

On Wednesday, Clyne said investigators always start with the "inner circle" in trying to solve a crime. Police are also looking into at least one burglary within the last two years at the Porco home, he said.

Clyne, a Delmar resident, said he understands "the level of tension ... should be high. But I'm not saying there's a maniac running around in the town of Bethlehem."

There exists the possibility of "a random act, a burglary," he said but doesn't believe there is "any sense of immediacy or urgency that some individual is going to strike in the town of Bethlehem or anywhere else in the county for that matter."

Calling hours and the funeral for Peter Porco are set for Saturday at St. Francis DeSales Church in Loudonville.

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