Latest news with #SafeGlasgowPartnership
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Glasgow Times
New poster to be displayed in Glasgow as hate crimes soar
The information will be put up at bus stops, the subway and in social housing concierge areas among other places. It comes as hate crimes in the city have increased by 42% compared to the previous year to date, according to police figures. They include offences motivated by prejudice include against someone's race, sexual orientation and religion among other protected characteristics. So far this year, there have been 1,974 hate crimes recorded for 2024 to 2025 up until March this year compared to 1,387 during the previous year over the same period. According to police, the rise is likely due to 'greater public awareness of recent hate crime legislation' and changes in recording – with every allegation within an incident counted separately. READ MORE: Pair pretended to be pilot, lawyer and ex-detective in £550k scam Councillor Elaine McSporran, chair of the Glasgow hate crime working group, said: 'We were looking at a campaign and generic poster that everyone can use – that will go into bus stops, public transport including the subway, housing associations at the concierge. 'It will be everywhere. It is to raise awareness of how people can report a hate crime whether they do it directly through the police, or through a third party or even through a councillor who will direct them to the right people.' Pointing out it will be available very soon, the SNP politician said it is hoped the awareness campaign would encourage more people to have the 'courage' to report their experiences. She told last week's Safe Glasgow Partnership meeting that swift action and 'working in partnership is the only way forward and the only way we can eradicate this kind of behaviour.' Speaking at the meeting, Glasgow Chief Superintendent Emma Croft said the increased offences were mostly related to racial or sexual orientation hate crimes. The Greater Glasgow Divisional Commander added that officers are continuing to work 'diligently to maintain increased detection rates and ensure victims are supported and informed. '
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Should violent abuser Chris Brown be playing Hampden Stadium?
This missed opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue about accountability comes at a time when Glasgow is in the throes of a deepening crisis for women's safety. Instances of domestic abuse are up by 41 per cent, rapes increased by 41 per cent, and sexual assault has risen by 28 per cent, according to the most recent data from the Safe Glasgow Partnership. Every time I hear Chris Brown's name, I think back to a camera at the Grammys in 2009 panning to two empty seats, their vacancy eerie and unsettling. I think of how a young Rihanna's eyebrows are gently knitting together, holding back tears while her swollen face, black and blue, is photographed after her boyfriend, then 19, punched her repeatedly while driving a Lamborghini. Many of his fans will tell you that Rihanna has forgiven him, and so should we. Or 'seriously, the Rihanna thing happened like 15 years ago and he has apologised a million times'. But the violent incidents and string of allegations only started with Rihanna; they didn't end there. A documentary released last year, Chris Brown: A History of Violence, details the seemingly endless controversies, including numerous accusations of alleged sexual assault and a rape allegation. In 2017, Brown's ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran filed a restraining order, alleging that the singer repeatedly harassed her, punched her, and threatened to kill her and her friends. Brown kicked off his Breezy Bowl XX tour in Manchester earlier this week, a month after he was arrested in the city for an alleged bottle attack at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair in 2023. He spent a week in HMP Forest Bank, whom he thanked for being 'really nice' before performing to around 20,000 fans on Sunday night. Team Breezy, as his fans are known, are fiercely loyal. They will claim that Brown is Michael Jackson reincarnated, that he is the "king of R&B". They will wax lyrical about separating art from the artist. But we are living in an era with more music than ever before. It's easier to make, listen to, and discover. Something like 120,000 new tracks are uploaded to streaming services each day, according to a Luminate report from 2023. That is to say, the world is not short of options. Listening to Chris Brown is a choice. Glasgow Women's Aid said in a statement that Chris Brown 'should not be welcome in Glasgow' and asked what his concert says about our priorities. 'Time and time again, we see the entertainment industry turn a blind eye to abuse when profit is involved. Venues and sponsors claim to stand against violence against women but continue to hand a mic to men who harm.' The voluntary organisation called on promoters and venues to consider the impact of whom they choose to platform. They also said that fans should reflect on what they are supporting with their money and that politicians should have more of a voice when it comes to performers who have been charged with violent crimes. 'Abuse should have consequences,' they added. 'Glasgow is better than this.' I have been trying to unpack where it is I stand with this. Am I disappointed in DF Concerts for promoting Brown's gig? Or the tens of thousands of fans in the city and beyond who line his pockets with their ticket purchases? Or the political elites who have turned a blind eye to Brown while claiming Kneecap 'crossed a line'? Should someone pull the plug on the gig? What does that mean for free speech? Nearly every woman that I know, myself included, has been on the receiving end of men's sexual violence in some form or another. In terms of severity, these incidents vary greatly. Because formal institutions like the police and the courts have a history of failing survivors of abuse, the desire to hold someone to account in any way possible can be intoxicating. When it has happened to me, I have felt blinded by my desire to get justice and crippled by gut-wrenching feeling that it will never happen. Part of the problem is that as woman, what was meant to be our big movement, our big moment, went horribly wrong. Whitewashing everything with the same hashtag (#MeToo) had a flattening effect. It painted someone dog-whistling at you on the street with the same brush as rape. It also made us hyper-aware of what would be considered appropriate or inappropriate, and sometimes people got it wrong. But it seems like now, the middle has fallen out. And some people are so sick of walking on eggshells that they have just decided to give up thinking about these things altogether. Since the #MeToo movement there has been a cultural shift, a regression. Misogyny is creeping back into the mainstream. It often feels like a scary and hostile time to be a woman. I think part of this comes down to stripping nuance out of situations, which has in turn resulted in a chilling effect where it becomes so loaded to talk about something on a deeper level that we just stopped talking about it at all. Cancel culture is an illusion. It flattens complex situations, which in turn can strip someone of the opportunity to learn and grow. And while I don't believe in cancel culture, I do believe in accountability culture. And Brown does not come across to me as someone who has ever learned from his violent and disgusting mistakes. Chris Brown's stadium show is a great opportunity to have a conversation about what we as a city think is acceptable behaviour. And the silence speaks volumes. Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
Glasgow Times
20-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
'Teens are carrying larger weapons', warns Glasgow police chief
Glasgow Chief superintendent Emma Croft described the behaviour as 'challenging' for police but said overall, youth violence figures are down. The worrying trend comes after a number of alleged knife crime incidents involving young people. Kayden Moy, 16, died after a disturbance on Irvine beach last month, and in a separate incident, Amen Teklay, 15, died in Maryhill in March after sustaining serious injuries. Speaking at yesterday's Safe Glasgow Partnership meeting on crime statistics, Chief superintendent Croft said 'there is clearly a focus on youth related violence as a consequence of the incidents in Glasgow and Ayrshire over the last several months,' but she added that 'incidents of youth violence are still down over the five year average.' READ NEXT: 'Sense of excitement building' over Glasgow's George Square work The Greater Glasgow Divisional Commander added: 'What we are seeing, however, is a change of posture – potentially intent – with youths carrying unfortunately larger weapons motivated by social media and are travelling across Scotland to gather. 'This is a challenging picture for police to map and prevent. Our national violence work is therefore focused on the sharing of information of trends and locations. "The input of partners here is critical – in particular schools, educational and youth work and diversionary settings who my teams have been working with tirelessly.' Chief Superintendent Croft said work continues with partners including the 'Common Ground Programme, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, youth workers and many others to target areas where we see incidents of youth and related violence and disorder at the weekends.' READ NEXT: Plans approved to transform Admiral Pub site in Glasgow Last month, Police Scotland urged young people not to carry knives, following the death of Kayden Moy. Explaining prevention work taking place, Partnership superintendent Ryan McMurdo said school engagement officers work in 39 schools in the Glasgow area delivering programmes including the No Knives Better Lives and the Pitchin' In Programme to reduce youth crime. Other efforts include the Common Ground Youth Project in the city centre and the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers, which has over 100 people involved. Figures presented to the Safe Glasgow Partnership showed overall violent crime has increased this year to date by 1.8 per cent compared to the previous year to date. A total of 12,060 violent crimes were recorded this year to date, compared to 11,844 for the previous year to date in the Glasgow city area. The meeting heard there is a reduction in serious assaults, homicides, attempted murders and robberies compared to the previous year to date. There has been an increase in common assaults.
Daily Record
14-06-2025
- Daily Record
Sexual assaults in Glasgow city centre double as 'alarm' raised over attacks
It comes as the number of rapes in Glasgow rose by a "shocking" 40 per cent while domestic abuse crimes against women increased by 41 per cent this year compared to last. Worrying statistics have revealed that sexual assaults in the city centre have doubled as 'alarm' has been raised over a spike in attacks on women across Glasgow. A Freedom of Information Request obtained by Glasgow Live has shown the city centre had the most reported sexually motivated attacks against women. The troubling statistics show there were 78 reported incidents last year - up from 38 in 2021. It comes as the number of rapes in Glasgow rose by 40 per cent while domestic abuse crimes against women increased by 41 per cent this year compared to last. Statistics presented at a recent Safe Glasgow Partnership showed 357 rape crimes were recorded during 2024 to 2025 so far compared to 254 during the previous year to date. Domestic abuse crimes against women stand at 192 this year compared to 136 during the previous year. Councillor Soryia Siddique previously described the trend as "alarming" as she called for an emergency summit. Now it has been revealed that a sexual crime is reported every two hours on average in Glasgow which has seen a 16 per cent increase in the number of total reported sexual crimes between 2021 and 2024 - rising from 2144 to 2489 While Glasgow city centre has seen the most sexual assaults against women, it also came as the third most likely place for a teenage girl between the ages of 13 to 15 to be attacked. The data showed G46 saw a 900 per cent increase from one incident to ten, G66 increased from seven to ten and G1 saw a 166 per cent increase from three incidents to seven. Recorded rape incidents from across the city paint an alarming picture, with incidents increasing by up to 500 per cent in some areas. JJ, who chose to remain anonymous, had ordered snacks to be delivered to her east end home at around 7pm on January 4 in 2024. The 32-year-old, who had been due to travel to England to see family, was met at her front door by delivery driver Muhammad Faizan Khan who complimented her eyes. Made to feel uneasy by the comment, JJ tried to take the food from Khan. However, as she reached forward he grabbed her before forcibly putting his tongue in her mouth, pushing her into her home before carrying out a sickening sexual assault. Muhammad Faizan Khan was found guilty in December 2024 at Glasgow Sheriff Court. He was convicted to 12 months in prison and placed on the sex offenders register in February this year. Bravely speaking about the ordeal, JJ said: "He will haunt me for the rest of my life. I feel like I can't even smile at people anymore without men thinking that I'm coming on to them. "I was quite an outgoing person, but I'm scared to smile or say thank you in case that makes another man think it's okay to attack me." SAY Women, a charity which supports sexual abuse survivors, slammed the figures 'concerning' as they called for more to be done to protect women fleeing sexual and domestic abuse. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A spokeswoman said: "SAY Women are deeply concerned by the rise in sexual assaults in Glasgow city. "This finding mirrors an increase in referrals to our service. Sexual assault leaves lasting impacts on individuals that may not be immediately obvious even to the person affected. "They may experience shame, anxiety, lack of self-worth or numbness. They may develop unhealthy coping mechanisms such as use of drugs and alcohol, withdrawal from work and relationships, or destructive behaviour that puts them further at risk. "We exist as an organisation to let those who have been impacted by sexual violence know that there are people out there ready to help in whatever way you need to feel safe and seen. Nobody should experience sexual violence and it is your right to access help if have." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Any increase in the number of sexual offences in Glasgow is concerning however, there has also been an increase in detection rates. "Our victim centred-approach, in collaboration with our multi-agency partners, has enabled improved reporting. We hope this increase in reporting is down to victims' confidence in coming forward, knowing they will be supported and listened to by specialist officers who will fully investigate every report, regardless of when it occurred. 'Local communities can be reassured, our officers continue to carry out vital work every day to prevent and detect crime. We encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to report it to police.' If you have been affected by sexual violence in Glasgow, you can reach out to: Rape Crisis Scotland helpline: 08088 01 03 02. Archway helpline (immediate support for rape or sexual assault in the last 7 days): 0800 148 88 88. or SAY Women (Emotional support and accommodation for 16-25 year old women): 0141 552 5803.
