Violent crime is on the rise across Scotland, according to new figures which reveal that hundreds more attacks were carried out last year. Binge-drinking and growing inequality has been blamed for the spike in violence, which saw 13,994 crimes recorded in 2006-7, 2.4% more than the previous year’s tally of 13,664.

Paedophiles and rapists are to be offered “chemical castration” on the NHS under a pioneering project being developed in Scotland.

{mosimage}The Scotsman has learned high-risk sex offenders in Edinburgh will be considered for drugs that reduce their libido when they are freed from prison.

The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Raj Darjee, a consultant forensic psychiatrist in Edinburgh, who believes drugs can play an important role in managing dangerous sexual predators once they are released into the community.

He said there was clear evidence that the use of anti-libidinous drugs could limit the chances of a paedophile or rapist striking again. “I think we can offer something that will reduce the risk,” he said. “If clinical treatment reduces the number of victims from 20 to ten, that’s got to be a good thing.”

He went on: “When high-risk offenders are released into the community in Edinburgh, from the courts or from prison, criminal justice agencies can refer them to us.

The purpose is for a psychiatric assessment to help the police and social work manage the risk. Part of that assessment will be to consider the use of medication.”

The psychiatric assessment and the use of medication would require the consent of the offender.

Last month, John Reid, the former home secretary, announced that the use of chemical castration – currently used in very few cases – would be expanded for sex offenders south of the Border.

A catalogue of concerns raised by NHS staff including aggression from managers, overcrowded buildings and low morale are detailed in a leaked report.

Social care staff in Glasgow are due to discuss what steps to take in a dispute with the city council over job-grading. Strike action planned for Monday was postponed until Unison union officials could meet with workers.

More than one in three nurses working alone in the community has been assaulted or harassed in the past two years, according to a new survey. The study, by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), found that more than half thought the threat of violence or abuse had increased over the period.

New Councillor Allison Duncan has blamed a breakdown of management and communication in the SIC for the recent shock cuts to home help services. In the Town Hall this week he said old people had been in tears in front of him over losing their visits.

The secret social work report detailing the chilling depravity of shallow grave predator Gavin Murray can be revealed today by the Sunday Mail. Two weeks ago we told how the paedophile who sexually abused a schoolboy and tried to bury him alive was allowed to walk free – despite vowing to do it again.

A Scottish consultant was yesterday accused of giving a massive dose of a paralysing drug to two terminally-ill babies to hasten their deaths in an act that was “tantamount to euthanasia”.

The prospect of strike action has been raised by health workers in Scotland despite the offer of a better pay rise than their English counterparts.

A Scottish musician who trawled violent pornographic websites was today found guilty of murdering a special needs teacher to act out a perverted fantasy. Graham Coutts, 39, strangled Jane Longhurst with a pair of tights after forcing her into sex, the Old Bailey heard.