POLICE ARE CATCHING A CHILD WITH A KNIFE EVERY FOUR DAYS — INCLUDING PRIMARY PUPILS — AS NEW STATS EXPOSE THE SCALE OF YOUTH VIOLENCE IN SCOTLAND. 00:01, 03 Jun 2025 A 10-year-old child was

caught carrying a knife in Edinburgh as "truly shocking" new figures reveal dozens of children - including primary school pupils - have been found with blades across Scotland this

year. Police Scotland seized knives from at least 91 under-18s in 2024 using stop-and-search powers, meaning a child is being caught with a weapon every four days. The alarming statistics

come just weeks after the death of schoolboy Kayden Moy, the third teenager to lose his life to youth violence in the past year. Multiple incidents involving children as young as 12 being

warnings of a “youth violence epidemic” which has been repeatedly highlighted by the Record's Our Kids... Our Future campaign, launched two years ago after we reported a worrying series

of attacks on teens across the country. The Scottish Government is now under intensified pressure onto act after several high-profile cases. Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill

said: “These shocking figures are yet another sign that there is a youth violence epidemic emerging in Scotland. "The SNP has created a perfect storm by cutting youth work services,

letting police numbers fall, and mismanaging mental health and education. "Every one of these 91 cases is very serious for our communities and potentially for those actually carrying

the weapon. "The only way to tackle this effectively is to have early intervention schemes that get to the root cause." JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest

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choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The Scottish Conservatives blamed “soft-touch” sentencing for under-25s, claiming it has emboldened young

offenders. Sharon Dowey MSP said: “Knife crime has spiralled out of control. There must be meaningful punishments for those who use a knife and expanded stop-and-search powers for police to

act as a deterrent. "The SNP’s soft-touch attitude towards justice represents an abject dereliction of duty by John Swinney’s government." Scottish Police Federation chair, David

Threadgold, added: "This is a concerning societal trend we now see emerging among younger members of our communities in Scotland," he said. “Each of these statistics is a real

situation which created significant risk for my colleagues, as well as potentially life changing consequences for the perpetrator, and sadly, the victims of knife crime, their families and

friends. “The solution to this problem cannot rest alone with the police; much greater and more effective preventative strategies have to be in place." First Minister John Swinney

recently said the Government's strategy would focus on three steps – educating young people on the dangers of knives, police searches of people who they think may be carrying a knife

and punishment of those caught with weapons. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Stop and search powers should be used where lawful, necessary and proportionate. Their use in

individual cases is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Article continues below “Police do use stop and search, and it is one tool to tackle violence alongside a range of other

measures such as prevention and education.”