KNIFE crime is still raging on the streets of Inverclyde as a Telegraph investigation today reveals more than a hundred robberies in the last four years with many involving the use of blades and other weapons - including firearms.

A total of 118 robberies were recorded by Police Scotland in the district between January 2019 and December 2022 - an average of 30 per year.

Nearly half of all armed robberies involved the use of a bladed weapon, and on four occasions a firearm was the item of choice. 

Other incidents included the use of screwdrivers, bottles and a golf club. One alarming incident involved the use of a wooden stake, and a lamp was used in another.

The revelations, following a request under freedom of information legislation, come after a couple were violently threatened and robbed in their own home in Larkfield in August by two masked men wielding a sword and a machete - a crime that remains unsolved.

Pauline and Gordon McLetchie, of Fife Road, were woken at midnight as the robbers smashed their way into the house.

Gordon said: "He kept shouting, 'Where's your safe?' and he kept batting into the door with the sword.

"He was using full force, it was the violence of it.

"I thought I was losing my life and Pauline was going to drop dead with a heart attack."

Vicky McGarrity, the sister of Damian Muir who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by thug Barry Gavin in 2007, today called for more action to educate children from a young age about the impact of knife crime.

Vicky, whose father John Muir was awarded an MBE for his campaigning work, said: “Clearly there is still a lot of work to be done.

"Nothing’s really changed after everything dad did with taking it to parliament, the campaign and getting his MBE.

“Education is a big part of dealing with this, teaching kids in school about the impact of these things."

Popular amateur footballer Damian, 34, was stabbed eight times by Gavin, then 21, in a senseless attack at Inverkip Street which shocked the whole of Inverclyde and sparked a national debate on knife crime.

Gavin was out on bail at the time, having been charged with no fewer than three separate assaults.

Vicky said: “It’s not just one family this affects, it’s two.

“When Damian died, I had no thought of how Barry Gavin’s family would have been, 16 years on I have empathy for them.

“Not only did it change our family, but it must have affected them too.

“We need to be saying ‘don’t do this’ because it changed our lives forever.”

A total of 51 of the 118 recorded robberies involved the use of weapons — and knives were used in 24 of those.

Out of all of the incidents, 61 occurred in 'public space', while 40 took place within flats or houses, while the other 17 happened at commercial premises.

Councillor David Wilson, chair of Inverclyde Police and Fire Scrutiny Panel, said: "It is a shame that knives are still being carried and used on our streets.

"I would always advocate prison sentences for the use of knives and consider imprisonment for the carrying of knives.

"Cuts to police numbers in Inverclyde due to Scottish Government budget miscalculation will not help to keep our constituents safe."

Inverclyde's police commander, Chief Inspector Damian Kane, said: “Police Scotland is facing sustained levels of demand across the country but I want to reassure everyone who lives in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde areas that we remain committed to dedicating our policing resources appropriately to address developing crime trends and provide the best service to our communities.

"I can reassure our local communities that our officers continue to carry out vital work every day in the community to prevent and detect crime.”