Constance stresses ‘commitment’ to violence reduction unit as funding increased

Scotland’s Justice Secretary has announced a funding increase for a specialist centre aimed at tackling violent crime – with the cash coming in the wake of concerns about a “youth violence epidemic”.

Angela Constance said funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by 7% to £1,217 million.

The money comes in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy, who both died after allegedly being stabbed in separate incidents this year.

There had been reports funding for the unit was to be cut, but Ms Constance said the increase in cash shows the Scottish Government’s “continued commitment” to tackling the problem of violent crime.

Originally established in 2005 in the Strathclyde Police area, it became a national initiative the following year, with its work focusing on treating violence as a public health issue.

Ms Constance said the funding is “part of the Scottish Government’s broader package to tackle violence, which we have funded by more than £6 million over the past three years”.

Speaking about the unit, she said: “They take a long-term approach to violence reduction through prevention work and working to identify, understand and address the underlying causes of violence.

“To show our continued commitment to this issue, I have announced an additional £82,000 to £1,217 million to support the work they do this year, which is a 7% increase.”

Police Scotland figures show the number of serious assaults carried out by youngsters aged between 11 and 18 fell by more than a quarter (27%) between 2019-20 and 2024-25, the Justice Secretary added.

Ms Constance stressed the Government’s approach to tackling youth violence “is focused on education programmes” coupled with “effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people”.

She also insisted: “We have made it quite clear that no-one should every carry any weapon including knives at any time, anywhere.”