title: Effect of Strathclyde police initiative "Operation Blade" on accident and emergency attendances due to assault.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review assault victim attendance at the accident and emergency department of Glasgow Royal Infirmary before and after a police initiative to curb knife carrying and tackle violent assaults ("Operation Blade").
  
  
  METHODS
  Assault victim attendance was reviewed for the month before the implementation of Operation Blade and for one month a year later. The number of victims requiring treatment in the resuscitation room for stab wounds before, during, and after Operation Blade was also reviewed as a crude indicator of the frequency of serious assaults in the city.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the nature or number of assault victims attending this hospital one year after Operation Blade compared with the month before its implementation. Operation Blade reduced the number of serious stabbings for a period of 10 months, but subsequently numbers surpassed those prevailing before its implementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Any attempt to combat this complex and multifactorial problem must be addressed through a combined public health and education initiative in conjunction with regular press and police campaigns to achieve a sustained effect.
authors.affiliation: Accident and Emergency Department, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bleetman
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Swann
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D000552:Ambulances; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D016495:Police; D011634:Public Health; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000453:epidemiology*