Five men killed in a weekend in 'UK's safest city'

Police in Glasgow are investigating five murders after a weekend of unprecedented violence in the city.

Detectives said there appeared to be no direct link between the deaths of the five men, aged between 19 and 38, who were stabbed or beaten to death in a spate of killings since Friday night. They added that there was no obvious connection to Saturday's Celtic versus Rangers "Old Firm" derby, which frequently leads to trouble between opposing football fans.

Jack McConnell, Scotland's First Minister, said the violence highlighted the need to "challenge the culture which can lead to murder".

Strathclyde Police, Britain's third-largest force, said the number of murders was "unprecedented" in a 48-hour period and would have been typical for an entire month in the area. No arrests have been made. A police spokeswoman added: "This appears to be unprecedented as we cannot remember a weekend as bad as this."

Police were investigating reports linking one victim, William McPhee, 38, of Barlanark, to gangland figures in the city. He was stabbed in the bar of the Brewers Fayre restaurant in the Baillieston area at about 5pm on Saturday and died at Glasgow's Royal Infirmary. Detectives want to speak to a taxi driver who dropped off two men at the restaurant around the time of the incident.

A 19-year-old died in the early hours of Saturday morning after what detectives believe was an unprovoked attack by another man. Kevin Lawson, who had been walking with a friend in Shettleston when he was assaulted, died in hospital shortly afterwards.

In Gartloch, a 27-year-old man died after sustaining "serious head injuries" in a street attack at about 8.30pm on Saturday night.

A murder inquiry was also launched into an incident in Barmulloch yesterday, when two men, both 33, were attacked at about 3.25am. One of the men, named last night as John Hamilton, died at the scene, while his friend was being treated for "serious injuries" in hospital.

Detectives also launched a murder inquiry after the death of a 52-year-old man in Port Glasgow, near the city's airport, on Saturday. Robert Devine was found dead in his Bouverie Street home at about 7.20am.

Mr McConnell said there was "too much violence in too many parts of Scotland". He added: "Knives, guns and violent behaviour need tougher sentences and priority action."

Last week Glasgow was named in a survey as the safest city to live in Britain. The survey by Mercer Human Resource Counselling compared more than 200 cities worldwide.