Scotland must be ‘relentless’ in efforts to tackle youth violence, Swinney says

Scotland needs to be “relentless” in telling young people there is “absolutely no justification” for carrying weapons such as knives, John Swinney has said.

The First Minister spoke out on the issue ahead of chairing a special summit as part of efforts to clamp down on knife crime and violence among young people.

Three teenagers have died in Scotland over the past year as a result of knife crime, with Mr Swinney describing the deaths as “tragic”.

Speaking ahead of Thursday afternoon’s summit, the First Minister said: “There is absolutely no justification for carrying any weapon, including knives, at any time, anywhere – and we must be relentless in that message to young people.

“The three tragic deaths over the past year are proof that bringing dangerous weapons onto our streets and into our communities can have devastating consequences.”

While he insisted that “Scotland remains a safe place to live and raise a family”, Mr Swinney added: “We must make sure we are doing everything possible to respond to the changing behaviours of young people at an early stage, while ensuring parents are aware of the help and support that is already available.”

The cross-party meeting comes as teachers report rising levels of classroom violence and misogynistic behaviour among pupils.

Thursday’s summit will hear from the Justice and Education Secretaries, ministers for children and for victims, along with cross-party MSPs, youth workers and those delivering violence reduction in Scotland.

It follows discussions led by Mr Swinney to hear young people’s and families’ experiences and ideas on possible solutions, and will focus on education and community engagement with young people and possible strategies preventing them from turning to antisocial behaviour or carrying a weapon.

The First Minister added: “Challenging crime and antisocial behaviour is the responsibility of everyone, which is why our approach to tackling violence among young people is focused on education programmes, on the unacceptability of violence, effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people.

“This will help show young people the dangers and consequences of violence, including carrying a weapon, and help prevent them from making decisions which could determine the rest of their life and devastate the lives of others.”

Justice Secretary Angela Constance has already said that “more needs to be done” to clamp down on violence.

And earlier this month, the Scottish Government announced that funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by 7% to £1.217 million – a move which reversed a planned budget cut.

Despite several high-profile recent murders among teenagers, Police Scotland said serious assaults by those aged 11 to 18 fell by 27% between 2019/20 and 2024/25, from 428 to 313.

Ahead of the meeting, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called for greater investment in youth work.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, who was a youth worker before becoming an MSP, accused the SNP of presiding over the “quiet death” of youth work.

He said: “For the best part of 20 years, I was a youth worker, helping some of the most disengaged young people get their lives back on track.

“That experience taught me that no child is inherently bad. Most of the time, they are just in need of some direction, a need that has only been fuelled by the isolating impact of lockdown.

“That’s where youth work comes in: it provides young people with the direction they need and gives them a positive adult role model who is neither a teacher nor a parent.

“It teaches teenagers to come out of their comfort zone, helps them rebuild their sense of self-worth and fosters a whole host of key life skills.

“Since the pandemic, however, the SNP have presided over the quiet death of youth work. Budgets have been squeezed, services have struggled to survive, just when we need them the most.

“While acts of violence require a strong response, punishing predominantly law-abiding young people cannot be our broader solution. We need youth work to pre-empt and prevent those acts of violence, to properly engage young people in society and lay the foundations for them to succeed in life.”