Stabbing accounted for more than half of Scottish homicides

There were 127 murders and culpable homicides last year, with almost two-thirds of the victims being killed in the Strathclyde area.

More than half of last year's homicide victims were stabbed with a knife or a sharp instrument.

In almost half the cases the killers were drunk.

'Booze and blade'

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said proposed licensing laws should help to combat the link between alcohol and violence.

She said the "booze and blade" culture would be tackled.

"This kind of behaviour and its shocking consequences can no longer be tolerated in a modern Scotland," the minister said.

She highlighted planned changes to the licensing laws to weaken the link between drink and violent crime, and moves to review the law on knife crime.

As a first step on the knife crime commitment, she said the Scottish Executive was seeking the views of police chiefs and prosecutors on how existing legislation could be made more effective.

Too many of these cases result when either the accused or the victim is drunk Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson

Last year's total of 127 homicides was 11 more than the previous year and the highest since 1996, according new figures.

In 44% of the cases the accused was drunk, and 15% were both drunk and on drugs.

Ms Jamieson said 68 people were stabbed to death, the highest annual total for fatal stabbings for 10 years.

She said: "This increase was almost entirely responsible for the overall increase between 2001 and 2002 in the number of homicide victims," she said.

"Too many of these cases result when either the accused or the victim is drunk. Most occur at the weekend and involve young men.