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COPS GET BACK TO BASICS; Clamp on crime.

Byline: ANDREW WALKER EXCLUSIVE

POLICE are set to step up their efforts to crack down on violent crime.

Strathclyde's Chief Constable Willie Rae plans to relaunch the force's Spotlight campaign next month.

It will tackle the growing number of assaults, knife attacks and disorder.

Officers will also target more minor problems such as youths hanging about on street corners.

The aim is to reduce the fear of crime after a shock survey last year.

It showed that, despite falling crime levels, more than half of those questioned were afraid of being victimised.

Mr Rae has given the go-ahead to his first Spotlight campaign next month.

The most recent figures for Strathclyde showed an increase in several areas of crime.

Attempted murders rose by 29 cases in the first quarter of the year while serious assaults increased by 181 incidents.

Vandalism soared by 44.5 per cent - more than 3400 crimes.

There was an overall increase in crime of more than five per cent. Spotlight was launched in 1996 in response to concerns about crime levels.

It aimed to tackle specific areas of offending like knives, drugs, street disorder and car crime.

Since then it has been taken to a national stage as the model for campaigns like Safer Scotland,with all eight police forces working together.

Superintendent Alastair McNaughton, who's in charge of the special unit set up to run crime-battling campaigns, said: "We are going back to the basics of what Spotlight is about.

"It was conceived after the community told us of areas which were concerning them.

"The feedback which we are getting is that violent crime, which has been increasing steadily, is still a worry."
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Publication:Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
Date:Sep 10, 2001
Words:278
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