Wendy Alexander has welcomed a new campaign designed to challenge attitudes towards knife carrying.

The Paisley North MSP says the eight-week advertising campaign will help address the worrying belief of too many that carrying a knife is normal or acceptable.  

The £580,000 campaign carries the strapline: Knives – Let’s Not Scar Another Generation and features radio, newspaper, bus and outdoor adverts, posters in community settings and a roadshow to areas hard-hit by violent crime. 

The campaign highlights the enforcement action, diversionary activities and preventative measures under way to tackle knives in Scotland, while emphasising that we all must now challenge the notion that carrying a weapon is acceptable. 

Ms Alexander said: “We have already seen the Labour-led Executive take tough action with new legislation on knife carrying however it was clear that more needed to be done to challenge the idea that carrying a knife was acceptable in Renfrewshire.  

“I welcome the efforts of this advertising campaign to confront those across Renfrewshire who choose to carry a weapon. These people need to know that their actions can have potentially deadly consequences.”