Drugs, violence and racism: A week in Glasgow city centre

Glasgow's city centre has become a focal point for videos depicting violent crimes, drug dealings, and racial violence on social media platforms. Residents claim the area is a "no-go zone," with women particularly feeling unsafe. BBC Disclosure spent a week in the city centre in June to investigate these claims. They documented drug deals, thefts, arrests, and physical altercations, including a brawl featuring young men throwing traffic cones at a man with a dog.

Taxi drivers reported that the area frequently contained intoxicated individuals, likening it to a "zombie apocalypse." A convenience store manager reported being racially abused at least 20 times daily and facing constant attacks from drug addicts. The police were given special powers to temporarily ban people from the hotspot area around St Enoch Square and Four Corners, issuing over 1,500 dispersal notices since March, yet the issues persist.

Police presence was visible during filming hours, but in the evenings, a group of young men threw traffic cones at a man, who responded by chasing them with his dog. The atmosphere was intimidating, making it seem dangerous for vulnerable individuals to walk alone. One victim, Kip Lawson, was beaten so severely his lip was ripped open and he lost part of a front tooth.

He recounted being beaten by a group of white men while walking home at night and assaulted again by a black man for his phone. In Union Street, which sits in the heart of the dispersal zone, there were nearly 2,800 recorded crimes in 2023 alone. Faisal Umar, a convenience store owner in the area, claimed his shop was robbed by drug addicts and constantly subjected to racist abuse.

The hotel near his shop housed many homeless individuals, including addicts, and drug dealers often used underage children to sell drugs to them. Umar complained that the police could do little due to the ages of the offenders. During a patrol with the police, it was confirmed that child exploitation and young people involved in drug-running rarely faced consequences, often concealing drugs in their mouths when approached by law enforcement.

A dealer was observed openly selling drugs in front of cameras, licking the drug wraps before handing them to a buyer. Darren Docherty, leader of a vigilante group called Scots Active, claimed drugs were being openly sold by "new people" and accused them of being far-right extremists. While the group denies being racist, they clash with young black and Asian drug dealers in the city centre.

Glasgow, accepting more asylum seekers than any other UK city, has faced friction due to cultural differences, leading Scots Active to join anti-immigration demonstrations that turned violent.